The People Power Party elected incumbent Governor Kim Young-hwan as its candidate for the June 3 local election for North Chungcheong governor. Kim will face Shin Yong-han, vice chair of the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate.
Park Deok-heum, chair of the People Power Party's Central Nomination Management Committee, announced the results of the runoff for North Chungcheong governor at the party's central headquarters on the afternoon of the 27th. The runoff featured Governor Kim Young-hwan and former Daegu High Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor Yoon Gap-geun. The runoff combined the results of a vote by dues-paying party members (50%) and a public opinion poll of ordinary citizens (50%).
Candidate Kim Young-hwan was cut off (excluded from nomination) under the Lee Jung-hyun nomination committee system, but returned as a candidate after a court granted his request for an injunction to suspend the measure. Despite the twists and turns of being cut off, he was ultimately selected as the People Power Party candidate, enabling him to seek a second term.
Kim is one of the so-called "pro-Yoon," a close-knit group around former President Yoon Suk-yeol. He served as a special advisor to the former president's transition committee and was elected North Chungcheong governor in the 2022 local elections.