Kim Se-ui and Kim Jae-won Fail to Become Supreme Council Members... Democratic Party Election Commission Says "Running Mate Possible"

Meeting with the National Election Commission on Party Leader Candidate Eligibility Screening
Interpreted That Staff Members Can Also Participate in the Campaign
Seo Byung-su "Respected Past Practices"

The People Power Party Election Commission announced on the 27th that four candidates for party leader, eight candidates for supreme council member, and ten candidates for youth supreme council member have passed the qualification screening. Regarding the controversy over 'running mates' and whether it violated party rules and regulations, the screening concluded that running mates as currently practiced pose no issues.

The People Power Party Election Commission held a full meeting that day and announced that four candidates for party leader?Na Kyung-won, Won Hee-ryong, Yoon Sang-hyun, and Han Dong-hoon?passed the qualification screening.

From the left, Han Dong-hoon, former Emergency Response Committee Chairman; Won Hee-ryong, former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Yoon Sang-hyun, Member of the National Assembly; Na Kyung-won, Member of the National Assembly

For supreme council members, eight candidates?Kim Min-jeon, Kim Hyung-dae, Park Yong-chan, Park Jung-hoon, Lee Sang-gyu, In Yo-han, Jang Dong-hyuk, and Ham Woon-kyung?passed the qualification screening. Kim Se-ui, head of the Garosero Research Institute, and Kim Jae-won, former supreme council member of the People Power Party, were disqualified.

For youth supreme council members, a total of ten candidates?Kim Eun-hee, Kim Jeong-sik, Park Sang-hyun, Park Jun-hyung, Park Jin-ho, Park Hong-jun, Son Ju-ha, Ahn Dong-hyun, Jin Jong-oh, and Hong Yong-min?will undergo a preliminary primary through a responsible party member opinion poll from the 3rd to the 4th of next month, where the final four candidates will be decided. Among the original eleven applicants, only Kim So-yeon, former head of the People Power Party's 20th presidential election campaign headquarters, was disqualified in the screening.

The Election Commission concluded that there is no problem regarding the issue raised about running mates for party leader and supreme council members.

After the meeting, Election Commission Chair Seo Byung-soo told reporters, "Election campaigning refers to actions intended to get someone elected or prevent someone from being elected," adding, "Candidates can campaign, so it is possible to promote running mates to help other candidates get elected."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He continued, "Specific prohibitions applied to those who cannot campaign include not participating in the campaign committee or holding positions in a candidate's camp," explaining, "This means they cannot hold positions such as sponsorship committee chair or other sponsorship roles." He added, "Simply donating funds is allowed," and "Parliamentary aides who are party members are not considered persons who cannot campaign, so they can participate in the party leader and supreme council member candidates' camps."

Earlier, controversy arose when former emergency committee member Han Dong-hoon, running for party leader, formed running mates with lawmakers Jang Dong-hyuk and Park Jung-hoon, and former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong decided to run with lawmaker In Yo-han. Party leadership contender lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun pointed out this as a "violation of party rules and regulations."

However, Chair Seo also noted that the party rules and regulations are insufficient. He said, "Because the party rules and regulations concern political activities within our party, they are not as strictly defined as the constitution or laws," adding, "We need to amend them going forward, but we also respected past practices."