Busan 5-term Jo Kyung-tae Wins Primary... Opportunity to Challenge for 6th Term

Jo Kyung-tae, a member of the People Power Party representing Busan Saha-eul, won the primary and will challenge for his sixth term in the 22nd general election.

The People Power Party's nomination management committee announced on the afternoon of the 9th that Jo defeated Jeong Ho-yoon, a former administrative officer at the Presidential Office's Public Service Discipline Secretariat, in the two-person primary for Busan Saha-eul.

Despite a penalty of a 15% deduction in the primary vote share for challenging the same district more than three times, Jo defeated former administrative officer Jeong and secured his place in the general election.

In Busan Saha-eul, a battle will take place between a five-term veteran incumbent lawmaker and a political newcomer.

The Democratic Party candidate for Saha-eul is Lee Jae-sung, a fourth industrial revolution expert and the second recruited talent, who is a former executive director at NCSoft and has been recommended unopposed to prepare for the general election.

Assemblyman Jo Kyung-tae of the People Power Party. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The People Power Party has confirmed candidates for 16 out of 18 constituencies in Busan for the 22nd general election.

In the Seo and Dong constituencies, which attracted the most preliminary candidates in Busan, three candidates are competing in the primary: lawyer Kwak Gyu-taek, Kim In-gyu, a former administrative officer at the Presidential Office's Political Affairs Secretariat and grandson of former President Kim Young-sam, and Lee Young-poong, a former KBS reporter.

The primary will be conducted from the 10th to the 11th, with 50% based on a general voter survey (telephone interviews) and 50% on a party member electorate survey (automated response system).

In the newly created Buk-eul constituency, formed due to redistricting, a four-person primary will be held among Kim Hyung-wook, former head of cyber security and scientific information planning at the National Intelligence Service; Park Sung-hoon, former vice minister of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries; Son Sang-yong, former vice chairman of the Busan City Council; and Lee Soo-won, former chief secretary to the Speaker of the National Assembly.

Buk-eul is one of six seats in the Nakdong River belt of Busan, newly created as Busan Buk-Gangseo Gap and Buk-Gangseo Eul were divided into three constituencies: Buk Gap, Buk Eul, and Gangseo-gu.