Nowungrae Opposes 'Cutoff'... "I'm Not the Only One Facing Trial Related to Bribery"

Democrats Select 4 Strategic Districts with Incumbents
No Woong-rae, "Suspicious of Sacheon... Will Not Stand By"
Regarding Party Withdrawal, "No Plans Yet"

Democratic Party lawmaker No Woong-rae claimed that his constituency being designated as a 'strategic district' is "the party's tyranny and nomination dictatorship." Earlier, the Democratic Party's nomination management committee designated a total of five constituencies, including No Woong-rae's Seoul Mapo-gap, as 'strategic electoral districts.'

On the afternoon of the 22nd, No held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office, stating, "I am not the only one undergoing a trial related to bribery," and added, "I cannot help but suspect that the nomination management committee is merely acting as a puppet for the leadership." The Democratic Party's nomination committee announced the five strategic electoral districts that day, including the constituencies of incumbent lawmakers: Seoul Mapo-gap (No Woong-rae), Dongjak-gu-eul (Lee Soo-jin), and Gyeonggi Uijeongbu-si-eul (Kim Min-cheol), Gwangmyeong-si-eul (Yang Ki-dae). These areas were transferred to the party's strategic nomination management committee, effectively excluding the incumbent lawmakers from the nomination process.

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker No Woong-rae is holding a press conference related to candidate nomination at the National Assembly on the 22nd. [Image source=Yonhap News]

No said, "I will ask the nomination committee what reasons and grounds were used to designate the strategic districts," emphasizing, "I clearly state that I cannot accept or acquiesce to this decision." He added, "If this decision stands, it means we cannot win this general election," and claimed, "Some people in our party have engaged in so-called 'pressure media play' by labeling us as cut-off (excluded from nomination) targets or under certain policies, which are not even stipulated in the regulations." Furthermore, he said, "I will neither accept nor stand by silently," and "I will take action to uphold the spirit of the Democratic Party."

Immediately after the press conference, when asked by reporters about what actions he plans to take, he replied, "I have no plans yet," but added, "First, I want to hear the grounds for selecting the strategic districts, and if they cannot provide a reason, I can only see this as a rigged nomination for a specific person." When asked about his intention to leave the party, he evaded the question by saying, "If the standards differ depending on the person with a rubber-band measure, who could accept that?" Meanwhile, he responded that he had not received notification of being in the bottom 20% in the incumbent lawmaker evaluation.