[Exclusive] "How Can We Stop Eliminated Candidates From Running?"... People Power Party Lawmakers Debate Circumvention of 'Lee Inje Prevention Law' in Group Chat

Lee Inje Prevention Law: Primary Losers Cannot Register for Main Election
"Was the Lee Inje Prevention Law Circumvented by Nullifying the Primary?"
Kwon Youngse Limits Critics to "Pro-Han Faction"
Pro-Han Lawmakers Respond: "Are Kim Mooseong and Na Kyungwon Also Pro-Han?"

As the People Power Party began the process of disqualifying presidential candidate Kim Moonsoo and replacing him with former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo, some lawmakers in a group chat questioned whether the so-called "Lee Inje Prevention Law" (which bans primary losers from running in the main election) had been circumvented.

According to People Power Party lawmakers, on the morning of May 10, in a Telegram group chat with 107 party lawmakers, floor leader Kwon Seongdong announced, "We were inevitably forced to proceed with the candidate replacement process in accordance with the resolution," and added, "If we do not introduce measures to prevent strategic voting as Kim's camp claims, the true intentions of voters will be distorted."

Concerns were raised not only about the procedural legitimacy of Kim's disqualification, but also about whether the Lee Inje Prevention Law (Article 57-2 of the Public Official Election Act) had been bypassed. One lawmaker reportedly questioned the party leadership in the group chat, asking, "I want to ask the emergency committee: Was yesterday's re-announcement of candidate registration intended solely for Han Ducksoo? Or did you nullify the entire primary process, circumvent the Lee Inje Prevention Law, and reopen registration for all candidates?"

Yonhap News

The Lee Inje Prevention Law stipulates that if a party holds an internal primary, anyone who is not selected as the candidate cannot register for the main election. The concern is that if the People Power Party's presidential primary is rendered invalid by this candidate replacement, it may not be legally possible to prevent other primary candidates from running in the presidential election. One party lawmaker commented, "A lawmaker asked whether the Lee Inje Prevention Law had been bypassed," and added, "The fact that the law is even being mentioned shows that the party leadership's decision on the presidential candidate is struggling to gain procedural and legal consensus even within the party."

Furthermore, first-term, second-term, and senior lawmakers of the People Power Party protested floor leader Kwon's announcement. Although Kwon, the emergency committee chair, held a press conference to try to calm the situation, many considered his efforts insufficient. Earlier that morning at the National Assembly, Kwon said at a press conference, "Kim won the support of the public and party members by calling for swift unification, but once he became the candidate, he stalled for time and effectively derailed unification. For Kim, unification was nothing more than a tactic to become the candidate," and added, "Kim has thrown away the trust of party members like an old shoe."

A second-term lawmaker criticized the leadership's candidate replacement, saying, "Is it wise to oust Kim, who was elected through the primary, in the early morning, and then bring in and register Han Ducksoo, an independent, in the dead of night like a burglar?" A senior lawmaker who ran in the presidential primary questioned, "Does the breakdown of unification negotiations provide grounds to strip the original candidate of their qualifications?" A first-term lawmaker demanded, "How will the public perceive a single hour of candidate registration held at dawn? If this is part of the strategy to win the presidential election, I want to hear the rationale."

Some lawmakers countered that it would be impossible to run the election with Kim as the candidate, given the broken trust. There was also dissatisfaction that only about 60 out of 107 lawmakers attended the general assembly, with complaints that "the non-Yoon faction is not cooperating."

In response, a pro-Yoon multiple-term lawmaker tried to mediate by saying, "Out of love for our country and to stop President Lee Jaemyung, let's set aside our differences for now and unite all our strength." However, a pro-Han lawmaker retorted, "This isn't just a difference; it's a fundamental mistake," and added, "No matter how difficult it is, we must take the right path."

The same lawmaker also objected to emergency committee chair Kwon Youngse's comment at a press conference that morning, where he said, in response to a reporter's question about internal criticism, "It's mostly lawmakers who supported Han Donghoon who are raising these issues in unison." The lawmaker replied, "This is the first time I've heard that Kim Mooseong, Na Kyungwon, Yoon Sanghyun, Ahn Cheolsoo, as well as Kang Minguk and Cho Eunhee, are classified as pro-Han. Don't muddy the essence with clumsy framing; I urge the emergency committee to correct its overreach, even now."

Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party presidential candidate, is giving a victory speech as the final confirmed candidate at the 5th party convention held at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on May 3, 2025. Photo by Yoon Dongjoo