Hatakeyong's Jongno Candidacy Breaking 'Mipungyangsok'... Choi Jaehyung Also 'Uncomfortable'

Choi Jae-hyung "Is it a tough district if there is an incumbent lawmaker?"
Lee Yong-ho "Why there, breaking public morals?"

After leaving his local constituency of Haeundae behind and declaring his candidacy in Seoul, saying he would run in a "difficult district," Ha Tae-kyung, a People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker, has received a lukewarm response from the political circles regarding his announcement to run in Jongno District, where a fellow party incumbent is serving. The current Jongno lawmaker, Choi Jae-hyung of the PPP, also expressed discomfort and conveyed that even the residents of Jongno are uneasy about Ha's candidacy.

On the 29th, Choi said on MBC's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" program, "Running in a difficult district means a competitive senior lawmaker leaves their own constituency, abandons vested interests, and runs with a spirit of sacrifice in a place where winning is not easy and no one wants to run. I have some doubts about whether it can truly be called running in a difficult district when there is an incumbent lawmaker and it is a place everyone wants to run for."

Choi Jae-hyung, a member of the People Power Party, is delivering a congratulatory speech at the '2022 Seoul Future Forum' held on the 16th at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Choi also showed discomfort over Ha portraying his candidacy in Jongno as if he had Ha's "consent." He said, "The term 'consent' is ambiguous. It implies 'accepting generously' or something like that. It is a bit uncomfortable that he interprets it that way and uses that wording."

He also reported that the residents of Jongno protested Ha's candidacy. He said, "Many residents of Jongno are very angry about Ha's candidacy. Given that he has no ties to Jongno at all and there is an incumbent lawmaker, who is struggling to organize the party there with great effort, it is hard to accept that he is running. There are many such reactions."

The reason Ha's choice to run in Jongno is receiving a cold reception in political circles is because it violates an unwritten rule regarding lawmakers elected through by-elections. On the previous day, Lee Yong-ho, a PPP lawmaker, said on CBS's "Park Jae-hong's One-on-One" program, "The political etiquette is that if someone enters through a by-election, they are given one more chance. This is because they did not serve a full term and were not properly evaluated, so giving them another chance is the etiquette." He expressed regret, saying, "So why break this etiquette, and why there of all places?"

Former lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook also said on SBS Radio the previous day, "It is a very sensitive issue and a delicate judgment to tell someone who has been a lawmaker for less than two years, a 0.5-term, 'Step aside, I have to do it because you probably won't win.' It seems like he rushed too much," she evaluated.

Kim Byung-min, a Supreme Council member of the party leadership, also said on Channel A Radio Show "Political Signal" the previous day, "When Ha said he would run in a difficult district in the metropolitan area, I immediately sent a text saying, 'I respect you, lawmaker.' But now I want to send a message saying, 'I take back that text.' It is very regrettable because it seems he is going in a completely opposite direction to his political plan."

Ha Tae-kyung, chairman of the People Power Party's task force investigating the shooting incident involving Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officials, is announcing the investigation results at the National Assembly on the 6th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Ha raised his voice on the previous day on YTN Radio's "News Q," criticizing reports with negative evaluations of his Jongno candidacy that cite anonymous sources from the party leadership, saying, "I gave up Busan, and I am almost the only one from Yeongnam who gave up and came to Seoul, and yet they are stabbing me in the back anonymously. I consider this a clear case of internal betrayal." Regarding this, Jang Ye-chan, the PPP's youngest Supreme Council member, said on BBS's "Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal," "From Ha's perspective, he may feel hurt, but from the standpoint of our party members and supporters, some feel regretful and wonder how it would have been if he had competed in a district where a Democratic Party incumbent is serving."