Ruling party prioritizes stability over reform in candidate nominations

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is taking the easy way out in nominating its candidates for the upcoming April 10 general elections by filling its roster with serving lawmakers rather than fresh faces.

Compared to the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which is suffering from serious factional feuds in its candidate nomination process, the PPP’s selections are helping the conservative party secure stability in the electoral campaigns. However, questions are also growing whether the party wants to change itself.

The PPP’s candidate recommendation committee on Monday nominated Rep. Kweon Seong-dong as its candidate for the electoral district in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, without holding a primary. Kweon has been serving four consecutive terms in the coastal city since 2009.

In Ulsan’s Jung constituency, Rep. Park Sung-min will compete with two other hopefuls in a primary. Meanwhile, Lee Won-mo, former presidential secretary for President Yoon Suk Yeol, has been nominated for the Yongin A constituency in Gyeonggi Province without the need for a primary.

As of Monday, the PPP has finished recommending its candidates in 127 out of 253 constituencies in the general elections, but only one serving lawmaker, Rep. Lee Tae-kyu, has failed to get his candidacy.

The day before, the PPP revealed the results of primaries for candidacies in 19 constituencies. Among them, five incumbent lawmakers secured candidacies in their respective districts by prevailing over their regional rivals in the primaries. These lawmakers are Reps. Chung Woo-taik, Lee Jong-bae, Park Duk-hyum, Jang Dong-hyeok and Eom Tae-young.

As all of the PPP’s incumbent lawmakers have clinched their candidacies so far, the party’s candidate nomination shows a relatively stable and quiet progress compared to that of the main opposition party. This is becoming a windfall for the conservative party in surveys, as recent results show that the PPP is closely trailing or outpacing the DPK in support ratings.

However, questions are also growing at the same time that the PPP’s candidate nomination process is hindering the introduction of fresh faces into mainstream politics. Critics argue that the party is primarily focused on preserving the vested rights of incumbent politicians rather than embracing a more inclusive approach.

For example, former lawmaker Kim Sun-gyo, who secured candidacy in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, by defeating incumbent lawmaker Lee Tae-kyu, has a controversial history. Last year, he lost his lawmaker status due to his accounting manager being fined for illegally raising funds.

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, a senior PPP member, expressed his dissatisfaction on Facebook, stating that the recommendation committee “gives chances to those who should have been sidelined.” He criticized the party’s candidate nomination process, claiming that it lacks interest and fails to initiate reforms.

In response to the criticism, PPP interim leader Han Dong-hoon told reporters Monday that “there will be plenty of reforms in the end.”

“Our quiet candidate nominations are possible because of many sacrifices, even though they may not be visible at the time,” Han said.

“Serving lawmakers have survived many difficulties and challenges. The nomination rules are very disadvantageous for serving multi-term lawmakers, and it is natural to doubt the competitiveness of rookies who failed to overcome those rules.”

Although Han and the PPP’s leadership are confident about the integrity of their candidate nomination process, pundits are saying the ruling party may face internal conflicts when it announces candidates for conservative strongholds such as Seoul’s Gangnam area, Daegu and surrounding North Gyeongsang Province.

Since those areas are easier for PPP candidates to win, chances are high that primaries there will be competitive. Unlike other areas, the primaries will reflect surveys of party members and the general public in a 50-50 ratio. The PPP plans to announce primary results of 25 constituencies on Wednesday, and the results will include 11 Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province constituencies.