The Democratic Party of Korea nominated former Blue House Spokesperson Kim Nam-joon for Incheon Gyeyang B and former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil for Incheon Yeonsu A in the parliamentary by-elections in June. The party has wrapped up "traffic control" between Song and Kim. Song, who served five terms, will run in the district of Democratic Party lawmaker Park Chan-dae, who ran for Incheon mayor instead of seeking reelection in Gyeyang B.
On the afternoon of the 23rd, the Democratic Party held a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly and decided on candidates for the parliamentary by-election districts of Incheon Yeonsu A and Gyeyang B. Earlier in the morning, the party's strategic nomination management committee met to discuss the pool of by-election candidates.
Kang Jun-hyun, the Democratic Party's chief Spokesperson, said after the meeting, "Incheon Yeonsu A is a tough district for the party and a core strategic area we must defend. Taking into account the stature of former leader Song, who served five terms as an Incheon lawmaker, Incheon mayor, and party leader—an important asset of the party—we placed him there strategically," adding, "He proved his innocence and returned to the party, and we judged him to be the most competitive candidate in Yeonsu A."
Kang added, "Former Spokesperson Kim deeply understands President Lee Jae-myung's governing philosophy and proved outstanding communication skills as the presidential office Spokesperson," explaining, "We judged him to be the optimal talent who can accurately grasp the president's intent and swiftly resolve local issues, leading a new leap forward for Gyeyang."
Kim, formerly known as "the mouth of President Lee Jae-myung," left the Blue House in February after announcing plans to run in Incheon Gyeyang B. Kim has assisted President Lee since Lee's days as Seongnam mayor. Kim's declaration to run in Gyeyang B was aimed at working for the district where the president achieved a political comeback after losing the 20th presidential election.
Song, who will run in Yeonsu A, had originally expressed an intent to run in Incheon Gyeyang B. However, opinions within the party had argued that the party should yield Gyeyang B, a Democratic stronghold, to "political newcomer" former Spokesperson Kim. Although Song consistently emphasized, "I have secured a residence in Gyeyang B and live there," in the end, the "traffic control" resulted in yielding Gyeyang B to Kim.
Former Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun was also mentioned as a potential candidate for the Incheon Yeonsu A parliamentary seat, but ultimately did not receive a strategic nomination. Democratic Party Secretary-General Cho Seung-rae said, "Former Mayor Park is also a valuable resource for the Democratic Party, and this is very regrettable for the party," but added, "Considering the overall landscape of the Incheon area, we judged that a nomination for former leader Song was more appropriate strategically."
Including the former Spokesperson Kim and former leader Song announced that day, the Democratic Party earlier nominated attorney Jeon Tae-jin in Ulsan Nam A. With this, the party has completed strategic nominations in three of the parliamentary by-election districts.