Kim Eun-hye Hopes to Return to Bundang After Chief Replacement
Park Min-sik Also Declares "I Want to Run in Bundang"
Bundang-gap Incumbent Ahn Cheol-soo Determined to Defend Seat
Recently, following the reorganization of the Presidential Office and the reshuffling of six ministerial posts, the movement of ministers and former Presidential Office officials to run in the general election has become visible, intensifying the rivalry over the Seongnam Bundang-eul constituency.
Former Presidential Office Chief of Public Relations Kim Eun-hye and Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik are both aiming to run in Bundang-eul in next year's general election. Bundang-eul is currently represented by Kim Byung-wook of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was re-elected, but it is also considered a conservative-leaning area where Lim Tae-hee, Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education (former Grand National Party member), served three consecutive terms from the 16th to 18th National Assembly.
Kim, whose original constituency was Seongnam Bundang-gap, resigned from his parliamentary seat last June when he ran for governor of Gyeonggi Province in the local elections. Bundang-gap was then taken by Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Power Party in a by-election. Accordingly, Kim plans to seek re-election in the neighboring Bundang-eul district.
Minister Park has already publicly declared his intention to run in Bundang-eul. Although his original constituency is Busan, he cites having lived in Bundang for over 20 years as his rationale for running. Park also stated that he had hoped to run in the Bundang-gap by-election last year but gave up due to Ahn’s candidacy. In a BBS radio interview, he emphasized, "I stepped aside when Ahn Cheol-soo came to run in Bundang-eul. So I have a legitimate reason to run."
With both Kim and Minister Park targeting the same constituency, internal coordination is necessary. It is reported that the ruling party is encouraging Kim to run in the Suwon area, citing his experience running for governor of Gyeonggi Province. However, Kim is said to still strongly desire to run in Bundang-eul. Suwon is currently held entirely by the Democratic Party across five constituencies, making it a difficult district for the ruling party. Although Kim could return to his original Bundang-gap constituency, this would inevitably lead to a clash with incumbent Ahn, making it a challenging option.
Ahn also has a strong determination to defend Bundang-gap. In an interview with SBS radio on the 7th, he said, "(Both Kim and Minister Park) will not be able to come to Bundang-gap," adding, "There are only a few surviving lawmakers in Gyeonggi Province. We need to adopt a strategy of expanding the surrounding areas centered on those (surviving) lawmakers."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
