People Power Party to Accept Nomination Applications From March 5...Screening Fees Waived or Reduced for Young Candidates

The People Power Party will begin accepting candidate applications for the June 3 local elections starting on March 5.

The People Power Party’s Local Election Nomination Management Committee (Chairman Lee Junghyun) announced on the 23rd that it had decided this at a full meeting. According to the committee, the nomination announcement will be made from the 1st to the 4th of next month, and applications will be accepted online from the 5th to the 11th.

Yonhap News Agency

The screening fee for nominations is 8 million won for metropolitan government heads, 6 million won for basic local government heads, 4 million won for metropolitan council members, and 3 million won for basic council members. The application fee for the Public Official Candidate Basic Qualification Test (PPAT) is 100,000 won and applies to metropolitan and basic council member candidates.

The People Power Party will also introduce a “Youth Fast-Track System” to significantly lower the political entry barriers for young, first-time politicians. For political newcomers under the age of 45 on election day who run for metropolitan or basic council seats, the screening fee will be fully waived, and the screening fee for metropolitan and basic local government heads will be reduced by 50%. In vulnerable regions such as the Honam area, the screening fee will be reduced by up to 90%. In addition, the PPAT application fee will be waived.

In addition, the regions where the central party’s nomination committee will directly handle nominations are a total of 26 areas: Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, Goyang in Gyeonggi Province, Yongin in Gyeonggi Province, Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province, Hwaseong in Gyeonggi Province, Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province, Anyang in Gyeonggi Province, Bucheon in Gyeonggi Province, Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, Ansan in Gyeonggi Province, Namyangju in Gyeonggi Province, Siheung in Gyeonggi Province, Paju in Gyeonggi Province, Gimpo in Gyeonggi Province, Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province, Cheonan in South Chungcheong Province, Jeonju in North Jeolla Province, Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province, Gimhae in South Gyeongsang Province, Gangseo District in Seoul, Gwanak District in Seoul, Gangnam District in Seoul, Songpa District in Seoul, Gangdong District in Seoul, Dalseo District in Daegu, and Bupyeong District in Incheon.

Furthermore, to exclude factional influence and strengthen independence in other regions, the committee decided that more than 50% of the members of city and provincial party nomination committees must be outside figures. It also decided to issue guidelines stipulating that members of the National Assembly and party chapter heads must not account for more than one-third of each city and provincial party nomination committee, and that women must make up 30% and young people 20% of each committee.