Nomination Committee Interviews Regional and Local Chief Candidates, March 10–13
Shortage of Seoul Metro Candidates Could Prompt Additional Call for Applicants
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Likely to Register Later
Only 3 from Seoul, 2 from Gyeonggi Took Part in Interviews
The People Power Party began its nomination interviews for the June 3 local elections on the 10th. While candidates clustered in the conservative stronghold of Daegu, the Seoul metropolitan area—a key battleground—attracted far fewer applicants.
The party’s Nomination Management Committee said it will conduct interviews for metropolitan and local chief candidates from March 10 through 13, pursuant to a resolution at its seventh meeting. The committee added that, following deliberation, it may decide not to hold an interview if a candidate is judged unqualified.
On the first day, the committee interviewed metropolitan candidates from Seoul, Daegu, Incheon, Daejeon, Sejong and Gyeonggi. That same day, local candidates from Suwon, Goyang, Yongin and Hwaseong in Gyeonggi Province were also screened.
The process opened in Daegu. Nine hopefuls for the Daegu mayoralty filled the interview schedule, which ran for more than an hour beginning at 10 a.m. Panel 1 included Kim Han-gu, Yoo Young-ha and Yoon Jae-ok (listed in Korean alphabetical order); Panel 2 featured Lee Jae-man, Lee Jin-sook and Joo Ho-young; Panel 3 comprised Choo Kyung-ho, Choi Eun-seok and Hong Seok-jun.
Each preliminary candidate delivered a one-minute self-introduction, outlined a three-minute policy plan they would implement in the first 100 days assuming victory, and answered follow-up questions from the panel.
By contrast, the Seoul metropolitan contests presented a starkly different picture. Only three candidates sat for the Seoul mayor interviews: former lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook; Lee Sang-gyu, chair of the Seongbuk-eul district party committee; and Lee Seung-hyun, CEO of Infack Korea. According to sources, the panel gave each candidate the same question asking them to assess Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s record in office.
The Gyeonggi governor interviews were similarly limited: only two candidates appeared—Yang Hyang-ja, a Supreme Council member, and Ham Jin-gyu, former president of the Korea Expressway Corporation—prompting assessments that competition there is narrow.
Political observers say the smaller-than-expected pool of metropolitan-area candidates increases the likelihood the party will open an additional application window.
Mayor Oh Se-hoon is widely expected to register after any such additional call for candidates. He chose not to apply by the initial deadline while pressing the party to normalize its direction, but after describing the party’s recent “frugality resolution” as a “meaningful change” yesterday, speculation about his potential candidacy has resurfaced.
As noted, the Seoul mayor interviews brought together Yoon Hee-sook, Lee Sang-gyu and Lee Seung-hyun, who were asked to evaluate Mayor Oh’s past performance. For the Gyeonggi governorship, Yang Hyang-ja and Ham Jin-gyu were interviewed sequentially.
In Daejeon and Sejong, incumbent mayors submitted sole nomination applications: Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo and Sejong Mayor Choi Min-ho each registered as the party’s candidate in their respective cities.
The committee’s interview schedule runs across four days. On the 11th, metropolitan candidates from Busan, Gangwon, North Chungcheong, North Jeolla, North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang and Jeju will be interviewed, and local candidates from Pohang (North Gyeongsang) and Changwon and Gimhae (South Gyeongsang) will face screening.
On the 12th, the committee will interview the Ulsan metropolitan candidate. Local candidates from Seoul’s Songpa, Gangdong and Gangnam districts and from Seongnam, Anyang, Pyeongtaek, Ansan and Namyangju in Gyeonggi will also be interviewed.
On the final day, the 13th, local candidate interviews are scheduled for Seoul’s Gangseo and Gwanak districts; Dalseo in Daegu; Bupyeong in Incheon; Paju and Gimpo in Gyeonggi; Cheongju in North Chungcheong; and Cheonan in South Chungcheong.
Lee Jung-hyun, chair of the Nomination Management Committee, said he is open to additional recruitment. “Party and committee rules allow extra applications and the door is wide open,” he said. “If necessary, we will pursue every available option to bring in stronger candidates.”
