The Democratic Party of Korea has finished nominations for 14 of its 16 metropolitan mayor and provincial governor candidates. In Gyeonggi, South Jeolla·Gwangju, North Jeolla and South Chungcheong, where party primaries were held, "pro-Jung (pro-Jung Chung-rae)" candidates won across the board, drawing attention. The Democratic Party of Korea finalized single-candidate nominations in Incheon, Gangwon, North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsang. Sejong (on the 16th) and Jeju (on the 18th) are also set to finalize nominations. In political circles, some said, "For Representative Jung Chung-rae, a 'green light' has turned on for the path to a second term through the party convention in Aug."
Among the metropolitan nominations, the most watched was Gyeonggi. Six-term lawmaker Choo Mi-ae, a hard-liner who led prosecutorial reform, defeated incumbent Governor Kim Dong-yeon and lawmaker Han Jun-ho, a face of the pro-Lee faction.
Gyeonggi Province is estimated to be home to about 20% of all the party's dues-paying members. It appears that Representative Choo, who raised her voice as a hard-liner on prosecutorial reform, captured a substantial share of dues-paying members' votes and won by a landslide. A Democratic Party of Korea official said, "Representative Han Jun-ho seemed to think that if he could just reach a runoff, he could draw votes from Governor Kim Dong-yeon and pull off a come-from-behind win," adding, "The fact that there was no runoff at all because Representative Choo won a majority was an upset."
Lawmaker Min Hyung-bae, who was nominated as the candidate for the integrated special mayor of South Jeolla·Gwangju, was the same. Like Representative Choo, as a hard-liner on prosecutorial reform, he won the support of dues-paying members. It appears that incumbent and moderate South Jeolla Governor Kim Yung-rok fell behind in the votes of dues-paying members.
In the South Chungcheong governor primary as well, Representative Park Soo-hyun—formerly the leader of the Ahn Hee-jung faction and recently favored by Representative Jung Chung-rae—defeated former Governor Yang Seung-jo, who had backing from the pro-Lee faction.
Analysts say the North Jeolla governor primary clearly showed the strength of the pro-Jung camp. Lawmaker Lee Won-taek, who helped elect Representative Jung Chung-rae, defeated Representative Ahn Ho-young and Governor Kim Kwan-young in the primary. Pro-Lee lawmaker Ahn Ho-young is staging a hunger strike in front of the main National Assembly building, demanding a reinvestigation into Lee Won-taek's alleged proxy payment for meal expenses. Pro-Lee figures, including former Democratic Research Institute Deputy Director Kim Yong and Representative Cheon Jun-ho, have been visiting Ahn's protest site. A political insider said, "In this round of local election nominations, the place that most starkly reveals the diverging realities of the pro-Jung and pro-Lee camps is Representative Ahn's hunger strike site."
◇"Depending on the Aug. party convention results, control over next general election nominations will split"
The party convention to elect the Democratic Party of Korea leader is set for Aug. Representative Jung Chung-rae is seeking a second term. With pro-Jung and hard-liners winning recent metropolitan primaries, analysts say support from dues-paying members has been confirmed.
There is also speculation that Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will run for party leader at the Democratic Party of Korea convention. If Kim, who represents the pro-Lee faction, becomes party leader, the party and Blue House could be bound together, bolstering President Lee Jae-myung. If the opposite happens, it could become a factor that intensifies conflict between the party and the Blue House.
A political insider said, "The party leader elected at the Aug. convention will be able to exercise a significant portion of the nomination rights for the next general election," adding, "Whether Representative Jung wins a second term or a pro-Lee party leader is elected will make a big difference in how President Lee runs the government."