The People Power Party's Nomination Committee has excluded incumbent Cheongju Mayor Lee Beom-seok from the party primary for the June 3 local elections and decided the nominee will be chosen through a contested primary.
The committee approved the move at a full meeting this afternoon (the 26th) at its Yeouido headquarters.
Mayor Lee has been indicted on charges of causing citizens' deaths under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in connection with the Osong underpass disaster, which left 14 people dead.
The Cheongju mayoral primary will be contested by three candidates: former North Chungcheong Deputy Governor Seo Seung-woo; Son In-seok, a former political special adviser in the Chungbuk provincial government; and Lee Uk-hee, an engineer at SK Hynix.
The committee also designated Bucheon and Siheung in Gyeonggi Province as 'priority recommendation' areas.
Neither city received any applicants even after the party extended the application deadline.
The committee said it would move to an uncontested nomination—selecting a single candidate—if a suitable applicant is found promptly.
Meanwhile, the party held the final round of a public audition this afternoon at its Yeouido headquarters to select a youth candidate for a metropolitan council proportional representation slot.
The audition drew attention because comedian Lee Hyuk-jae—who was previously fined for unpaid employee wages and was listed by the National Tax Service in 2024 as a major, habitual tax delinquent—served as a judge.
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Jung Young-bin (jyb21@yna.co.kr)
