On April 17, Jeong Yong-geun, a People Power Party hopeful in the Chungju mayoral primary, said he asked the party’s central nomination committee to reconsider how bonus points are applied in the runoff round.
Jeong’s campaign says the runoff applies bonus points differently than the first round. In the initial four-candidate primary, a 4-point bonus was awarded to young, first-time candidates, but in the runoff the same candidates would receive a 10-point bonus.
The campaign says it learned of the change when a staff member at the Chungbuk provincial party office handwrote “청년 +10” on the runoff pledge form and then asked candidates to sign.
Jeong’s team said the change effectively forces candidates with comparable qualifications to overcome an additional gap of more than six points. They warned that inconsistent rules across primary stages could undermine the integrity of the selection process and that altering bonus points between stages calls for review to ensure alignment with the primary’s purpose.
A campaign official noted that the central party’s nomination committee rules specify only the types of bonus points and their target groups for the primary; they do not explicitly authorize applying or increasing bonus points in the runoff.
The campaign argued that the Chungbuk party’s decision to raise the runoff bonus from 4 to 10 points is an arbitrary interpretation not grounded in the rules and amounts to an abuse of discretion.
Jeong’s campaign warned it will pursue all available measures, including legal action, if the central nomination committee does not take immediate corrective steps.
The People Power Party’s runoff for the Chungju mayoral race will be held over two days, April 19–20, with results announced at 2 p.m. on the 21st.
The runoff will pit Lee Dong-seok against Jeong Yong-geun, with party members and citizens deciding the final nominee through telephone opinion polls.
