The Democratic Party, 'Nakdong River Belt' Fracture... Park Jin-gwan, Kimhae-eul Preliminary Candidate, Countdown to Joining the Reform New Party

"Will Join Reform New Party Immediately If Retrial Dismissed"
"Trusted the Party but Not Receiving System Nomination"

The defection of a People Power Party (PPP) preliminary candidate from the Gimhae-eul district in Gyeongnam to the Reform New Party, in protest against the party's senior member reshuffling, has entered its final countdown. Analysts say this reflects the reality of division in the so-called 'Nakdong River Belt' region, where the PPP made strategic nominations to reclaim the area from the progressive camp.

Four key party officials including the regional council chairpersons, youth, women, and general affairs of the People Power Party in Gimhae-eul, Gyeongnam, are demanding a fair primary election in opposition to the central party's strategic nomination of Assemblyman Cho Hae-jin at the press center of Gimhae City Hall on the 22nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Park Jin-gwan, the PPP preliminary candidate for Gimhae-eul, said in a phone interview on the 29th, "I ran believing in the PPP's system nomination, but the system nomination is not happening at all," adding, "Our demand to hold a primary election is not being accepted. We will hold a protest in front of the Yeouido Central Party Office until today. If the reconsideration request is rejected, I will immediately join the Reform New Party."

The Gimhae-eul district has been a source of discord ever since PPP lawmaker Cho Hae-jin accepted the party's senior member reshuffling recommendation and moved his constituency from the Miryang-Sacheon-Haman-Changnyeong district in Gyeongnam to Gimhae-eul. The PPP reshuffled senior lawmakers, including Cho, to reclaim the Nakdong River Belt, currently held by the Democratic Party, in the upcoming April general election. However, PPP preliminary candidates in Gimhae-eul are opposing this, stating they will run even as independents if no primary election is held. Cho was unable to hold press conferences at the Gimhae City Hall Press Center twice on the 14th and 22nd due to opposition from local party members.

The Reform New Party welcomes this move. It has been considering strategies to target the Yeongnam region as a conservative party alternative to the PPP. Kim Jong-in, the Reform New Party's nomination management committee chairman, even mentioned that Lee Jun-seok, the party leader, should run in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region instead of the metropolitan area. A Reform New Party official said, "This is a welcome development. If he joins, he will need to register as a preliminary candidate and go through screening."

Other regions with nomination controversies are also worth noting. Discord continues mainly in constituencies where nominations were confirmed without primaries. Preliminary candidates who were cut off (excluded from primaries) are protesting in Busan Sasang-gu and Gyeongnam Jinju-eul, where former Secretary-General of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council Kim Dae-sik and PPP lawmaker Kang Min-guk received uncontested nominations, respectively. Song Sook-hee, former head of Busan Sasang-gu Office and a PPP nomination applicant for Busan Sasang-gu, held a head-shaving protest in front of the PPP Central Party Office on the 23rd.