Former Buyeo County Governor Park Jeong-hyeon announced he would not run in the Chungnam–Daejeon integrated mayoral race.
At a March 10 news conference at the Chungnam Provincial Government Press Center, Park said, \"After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to withdraw from the race for the Chungnam–Daejeon integrated mayoral election.\"
He explained his decision by saying many residents in Buyeo, Gongju, Cheongyang and other communities repeatedly urged him to join forces rather than compete against people from the same region, and that citizens believe cooperation — not rivalry — is what the Chungcheong region needs for its future.
\"A politician does not exist to pursue personal ambition, but to serve the people and represent their will,\" he said, adding that taking that mandate seriously is a core responsibility of any public official.
Park also said he will back Representative Park Soo-hyun in the party primary. He noted he has been a member of the Democratic Party for 18 years and became chair of the Buyeo–Cheongyang regional party committee in 2009. Since then, he said, he has worked with Representative Park Soo-hyun as a political partner.
He stressed that once the party's final candidate is chosen, everyone will unite behind that person to run a campaign aimed at victory.
Park noted that if Representative Park Soo-hyun is confirmed as the Democratic candidate for governor, he (Park Jeong-hyeon) would be barred from running in the resulting by-election for the Buyeo–Cheongyang–Gongju National Assembly seat. Under the Public Official Election Act, a local executive seeking a National Assembly seat that includes their jurisdiction must resign at least 120 days before the election.
Park said he resigned as county governor 90 days before the election, making him ineligible to stand in the by-election.
