The People Power Party has fallen into controversy over a "cutoff" of senior lawmakers running for Daegu mayor. The nomination management committee is said to be considering cutting off lawmakers Joo Ho-young (six terms), Yoon Jae-ok (four terms), and Choo Kyung-ho (three terms), and selecting a candidate from first-term lawmakers Yoo Young-ha and Choi Eun-seok, and former Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Chairperson Lee Jin-sook to contest the election. Some call it "nomination reform," while others counter with "Yoon again."
◇Lee Jung-hyun swings the cutoff sword, "nomination reform"
Nomination Committee Chairperson Lee Jung-hyun cut off North Chungcheong Governor Kim Young-hwan on the 16th. It was the first cutoff among the 11 incumbent metropolitan heads from the People Power Party. The chairperson said, "This decision is not to deny or downgrade Governor Kim's achievements," adding, "What the People Power Party must show the public now is not politics that stays with stability, but reformist politics that changes and shakes itself."
Earlier, Nomination Committee Chairperson Lee Jung-hyun expressed an intention to resign on the 13th, then returned on the 15th, two days later, persuaded by Representative Jang Dong-hyeok. A People Power Party official said, "I understand that even within the party leadership, opinions were split over the chairperson's cutoff of Daegu seniors," adding, "When some in the leadership objected, the chairperson signaled resignation in response."
Upon returning, the chairperson said, "Representative Jang conveyed that he would entrust me with full authority over nominations," and the very next day cut off North Chungcheong Governor Kim Young-hwan. That prompted talk inside and outside the party that "the resign→return→cutoff steps may have been coordinated by the chairperson and Representative Jang."
◇Six-term Joo Ho-young: "Handing Daegu mayor over to the Democratic Party"
There is growing talk inside and outside the People Power Party that the next cutoff will take place in Daegu. In Daegu, three senior lawmakers with three or more terms—Joo Ho-young, Yoon Jae-ok, and Choo Kyung-ho—have thrown their hats in the ring. The most-senior among them, lawmaker Joo Ho-young, appeared on Channel A's YouTube radio show "Political Signal" on the 16th and said, "They seem determined to tribute the Daegu mayorship to the Democratic Party." He strongly criticized the "theory of cutting off all of Daegu's senior figures."
If all senior lawmakers are cut off, some analysts say the environment could ultimately favor former Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Chairperson Lee Jin-sook. The former chairperson is receiving support from the "Yoon again" camp. A People Power Party official familiar with Daegu's political scene said, "Go Seong-guk, who has significant influence on Representative Jang Dong-hyeok, has recently been shadowing former Chairperson Lee Jin-sook closely and helping with campaign activities," adding, "There is much talk that this whole setup was created to make Lee Jin-sook the Daegu mayor."
Initially, there was much talk that the former chairperson would seek to enter the National Assembly through a parliamentary by-election. But it appears she is pivoting toward the Daegu mayorship based on the judgment that her approval ratings in Daegu have recently outpaced those of other candidates.