Aftermath of the Announcement of the Future of the People List... Joo Gi-hwan Resigns, Lee Cheol-gyu Criticizes "Great Regret"

Announcement of 35 Proportional Representation Candidates' Order
Candidate Withdrawals in Final Nomination Stage
Lee: "Dedicated Party Officials Not Included in Winning Positions"

The People Power Party's satellite proportional representation party, Kukminui Mirae, announced the order of 35 proportional representation candidates on the 18th, signaling that the nomination process is entering its final stages. However, controversies have arisen as some candidates who received numbers have withdrawn.

On the same day, Kukminui Mirae announced the proportional representation list, placing female disabled lawyer Choi Boyoon as candidate number 1, and North Korean defector Park Chungkwon, a senior researcher at Hyundai Steel, as number 2. This followed a screening process conducted on 497 candidates, excluding 33 disqualified individuals from the 530 applicants.

Yoo Il-jun, the nomination committee chairman of the People’s Future, the satellite party for proportional representation of the People Power Party, is announcing the order of proportional representation candidates at the Yeouido party headquarters on the 18th. 2024.3.18
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Yoo Iljun, the head of the nomination committee, stated the candidate selection criteria: "We selected individuals who align with the constitutional values of the Republic of Korea, namely liberal democracy and market economy, based on three perspectives: public expectations, expertise, and capability."

However, Joo Kihwan, former chairman of the People Power Party's Gwangju branch, who was assigned number 24 on the proportional list, announced his intention to withdraw from candidacy, claiming "there was no consideration for Gwangju at all." Alongside him, Kim Hwajin, former chairman of the People Power Party's Jeonnam branch, was placed at number 22, and other politicians from Honam received numbers in the 20s, where election chances are uncertain. Joo emphasized, "The People Power Party's regulations include a provision to prioritize 25% of proportional representation candidates from Honam, but Gwangju was completely excluded in this nomination. The party has broken its promise to its members."

In the previous 21st general election, the People Power Party's satellite proportional party, Mirae Hangukdang, secured 33.8% of the vote, winning 19 seats, making it unlikely that Joo and Kim will be elected.

Lee Cheol-gyu, Chair of the People Power Party Talent Recruitment Committee [Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee Cheolgyu, known as a key figure of the 'Pro-Yoon (Pro-Yoon Seokyeol) faction' and head of the People Power Party's talent recruitment committee, also criticized the nominations as disappointing, saying, "The long-standing party tradition of not favoring proportional candidates consecutively has been broken, and none of the party secretariat officials who have devoted themselves to the party were included in the winning zone."

Lee added on his Facebook, "Two emergency committee members were included in the proportional representation list, and two relatively unknown former public officials were placed in the winning zone, while the party officials who have handled all the tough tasks were not considered, which is even more disappointing." This is interpreted as a critique aimed at Kukminui Mirae lawmaker Kim Yeji (number 15), who switched party affiliation from the People Power Party, and Han Jia, associate professor at Eulji University College of Medicine and a People Power Party emergency committee member (number 11).