Hong Nayoung "Considering District Candidacy,"
Yeomijeon Remains Silent
With the June 3 local elections approaching next year, there is growing attention on the future moves of proportional representation councilors in the Sejong City Council, including whether they will run for district seats. According to the current Public Official Election Act, proportional representatives can only be elected once unless they switch parties. Since the introduction of the proportional representation system, it has generally been considered a given for local councilors to run for specific district seats within their region after their term ends.
However, because proportional representatives are elected based on their party's approval ratings and do not have their own constituencies, they often have to compete in primaries against those who have been managing local districts for some time. As a result, it is common for them to face defeat during this process. The prevailing view in political circles is that unless a councilor has demonstrated outstanding legislative performance or gained overwhelming support from residents in the district, it is difficult for them to secure a nomination to run for a district seat.
As the local elections draw closer, there is also growing interest in the future plans of Democratic Party councilor Yeomijeon and People Power Party councilor Hong Nayoung, both of whom have served without representing specific districts since the last presidential election, which brought the Democratic Party to power. Their decisions are drawing attention not only from current district councilors eyeing the next election but also from party members preparing to run, creating a sense of tension within each party.
Hong Nayoung, a member of the People Power Party, succeeded to her current council seat after her party colleague Lee Sohee resigned from her position as a metropolitan proportional representative to run for the 22nd National Assembly election as a proportional representative. When asked by reporters about her intention to run for a district seat in next year's local elections, Hong stated, "I am currently considering (running for a district seat) from various angles." Yeomijeon has not made any clear statement on the matter.
Meanwhile, in the 2022 local elections, the People Power Party received 71,729 votes, achieving a party approval rate of 48.50%, while the Democratic Party received 67,727 votes, with a party approval rate of 45.79%. As a result, each party secured one proportional representative seat.
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