Kim Young-hwan, the North Chungcheong governor who had been excluded from nomination (cut off), said on the 2nd that following the People Power Party's decision to rerun the primary, "I will become the candidate through a fair primary, win the general election, and contribute to the party."
On this day, immediately after the nomination committee's announcement, the governor said through the provincial government Spokesperson's office, "I sincerely thank the nomination committee and the party for making the right decision under difficult circumstances." The governor added, "I also thank the provincial residents who have encouraged me."
Earlier, Park Deok-heum, the People Power Party nomination committee chair, said after concluding a meeting at the Yeouido central party headquarters that "for the North Chungcheong governor race, we will return to the initial registration point and hold a preliminary primary for all candidates (excluding the incumbent governor). The candidate who passes that round will face the incumbent governor in a one-on-one primary."
Accordingly, the People Power Party's North Chungcheong governor primary will proceed with a preliminary primary among Yoon Gap-geun, former Daegu High Prosecutors' Office chief, Yoon Hee-geun, former Korean National Police Agency chief, and Cho Gil-hyeong, former Chungju mayor, who initially applied for nomination. The winner will face the governor in the main primary.
However, it remains uncertain whether all initial applicants will return to the race. Amid nomination turmoil, including the incumbent's cut-off and speculation about a preselected candidate, former Mayor Cho Gil-hyeong and former chief Yoon Hee-geun, who resigned their preliminary candidacies, are said to be taking a reserved stance on participating in the primary.