Jeong Jin‑seok Signals Run in South Chungcheong’s Gongju–Buyeo–Cheongyang By‑Election
‘Yun Again’ Nomination Fears Stoke Controversy Inside and Outside the Party
Ethics Panel Delays Ruling on Jeong’s Primary Eligibility
Park Deok‑heum: “If It’s Decided Tomorrow, We’ll Review Immediately”
‘Yun Again’ Nomination Fears Stoke Controversy Inside and Outside the Party
Ethics Panel Delays Ruling on Jeong’s Primary Eligibility
Park Deok‑heum: “If It’s Decided Tomorrow, We’ll Review Immediately”
The People Power Party’s candidate selection committee said it will decide, no later than the 7th of this month, whether to nominate former presidential office chief of staff Jeong Jin‑seok for the Gongju–Buyeo–Cheongyang by‑election in South Chungcheong Province. After a meeting at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 4th, Park Deok‑heum, chair of the selection committee, told reporters, “We’ve scheduled interviews through the 7th. If the party Ethics Committee meets within that window, we’ll have to make a decision by the end of the 7th.”
The Ethics Committee had initially planned to discuss Jeong’s eligibility to run and his application over the past weekend, but it postponed that meeting as the nomination controversy intensified and then canceled today’s session as well.
Under the People Power Party’s bylaws, individuals who are on trial or under indictment face restrictions on their eligibility to run. Jeong has been indicted by a special prosecutor investigating alleged insurrection‑related offenses, including charges tied to suspicions over the appointment or nomination of a Constitutional Court justice.
Park said, “If the Ethics Committee completes its review by the 7th and rules that he is ineligible for nomination, there’s no need for further discussion. But if they find him eligible, we will carry out our review, hold interviews on the 7th, and then make a decision.” He added, “If the Ethics Committee decides as soon as tomorrow, the selection committee can convene and conclude its process immediately.”
If the Ethics Committee rules that Jeong is eligible to run, the selection committee will then consider whether to exclude him (a cut‑off), to endorse a single candidate, or to hold a primary.
Jeong pushed back on Facebook, saying, “Someone indicted on charges related to performing key duties in an insurrection was selected as our party’s metropolitan mayor candidate. Who objected to nominating that person?”
Meanwhile, the People Power Party’s selection committee will announce the result of the Busan Buk‑gu Gap primary on the 5th. Former party leader Han Dong‑hoon is running in that district as an independent, and Ha Jung‑woo, the former Blue House AI Future Planning chief, has also entered the race.
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