The People Power Party decided to allow Kim Young-hwan, the North Chungcheong governor whom it had cut off (excluded from nomination) in the June 3 local election primary, to reenter the race.
Park Deok-heum, the People Power Party nomination management committee chairperson, said on the 2nd after a meeting at the Yeouido central party headquarters, "For the North Chungcheong governor, we will return to the initial registration point, hold a preliminary primary for all candidates (excluding the incumbent governor), and have the candidate who passes it face the incumbent governor in a one-on-one primary."
Accordingly, Yoon Gap-geun, former Daegu High Prosecutors' Office chief prosecutor, Yoon Hee-geun, former Korean National Police Agency commissioner general, and Cho Gil-hyeong, former Chungju mayor, who initially applied for nomination, will compete in a preliminary primary, and the winner will face North Chungcheong Gov. Kim Young-hwan in the main primary. This reinstates the "Korean Series-style primary" that was discussed under former committee chair Lee Jung-hyun.
In addition, the committee resolved to accept the appeal for reconsideration filed by incumbent Cheongju Mayor Lee Beom-seok, who had been cut off. Chairperson Park said, "After an in-depth review of the local election conditions and the additional explanatory materials submitted during the reconsideration process, we decided to accept the appeal." The Cheongju mayoral candidate primary will also be held in the Korean Series format, the same as the North Chungcheong gubernatorial race.
Regarding the Daegu mayoral candidate primary, in which Rep. Joo Ho-young, who was cut off, filed for an injunction with the court to suspend the effect of the committee's decision, Chairperson Park said, "We will decide after seeing the court's injunction ruling."
As for Kim Gwang-jong, former candidate for the National Assembly in Jeonju B district, who solely applied for nomination as the North Jeolla governor candidate, the party said it "revoked the candidate's eligibility in accordance with the committee's screening standards and exclusion criteria." Kim, the former candidate, reportedly ran into trouble over remarks made at a North Jeolla Provincial Council press conference on the 31st of last month, such as, "Inside is the Democratic Party of Korea, but outside is the People Power Party."