The People Power Party (PPP) nomination management committee is facing fierce backlash after excluding the top two candidates in opinion polls from the Daegu mayoral primary. Rep. Joo Ho-young blamed PPP leader Chang Dong-hyuk for the cutoff and warned that Chang must resign if he fails to resolve the situation. Concerns are mounting that the party could lose its grip on the Daegu mayoral seat if Joo runs as an independent in defiance of the party's decision.
On Wednesday, Joo and former Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Chairperson Lee Jin-suk, both cut off from the Daegu mayoral candidate race, launched sharp criticism at the nomination committee and Chang, who appointed its chairman.
Lee held a press conference at the PPP's Daegu chapter office in Suseong-gu and said, "The nomination committee's cutoff is not only an insult to me personally but also an affront to the citizens of Daegu who showed me overwhelming support." She added, "A few hours before the cutoff announcement, Party Leader Chang visited Daegu and made remarks supporting a citizen-driven nomination process, saying he would convey this position to the nomination committee chairman. But it appears this message was never delivered. I am not even sure there was any communication between the two."
The previous day, Chang had met with Daegu-area lawmakers including those who had applied for the Daegu mayoral nomination and said he would "convey to the nomination committee that the primary should be as fair as possible." However, just hours later, the committee defied expectations and announced the cutoff results excluding both Joo and Lee.
Joo escalated his rhetoric, demanding that Chang resign from the party leadership if he does not reverse the Daegu mayoral cutoff. Joo criticized the nomination outcome as another instance of Chang's "habitual evasion of responsibility," similar to when the party's disciplinary decisions against Rep. Bae Hyun-jin and former Supreme Council member Kim Jong-hyuk were blocked by the courts. "If Chang once again washes his hands of this Daegu mayoral nomination fiasco by saying 'Chairman Lee Jung-hyun did it,' the public and party members will no longer be fooled," Joo said.
He continued, "If Party Leader Chang cannot correct the reckless and unreasonable decision by Nomination Committee Chairman Lee Jung-hyun, then Chang is no longer qualified to hold the position of PPP leader." He stressed, "A leader who stands by while unprincipled nominations are made, a leader who cannot even keep promises he made with his own mouth — such a leader should step down."
Chang remained tight-lipped, but the party leadership issued a statement saying it had "done its best to convey its opinion at the leadership level, but the nomination committee did not accept it." PPP chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon said, "The party leader will not make additional comments on the cutoff." When asked whether the Supreme Council would vote to approve the committee's decision as is, Park replied, "Please understand it in that direction." Lee Jung-hyun, the nomination committee chairman, also stood firm, saying, "I will not shy away from criticism. I chose a painful path for the party's survival."
However, the possibility that Joo could defy the committee's decision and run as an independent remains a burden for the party. If Joo's independent bid materializes, conservative votes would be split between Joo and the PPP's official candidate, dramatically boosting the election prospects of former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, who is widely mentioned as the leading Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Daegu mayor.
A PPP official said, "The party leader can no longer persuade Rep. Joo or tell the nomination committee to reverse its decision." The official added, "Rep. Joo is someone who has already benefited greatly from the party, having served six terms and even as National Assembly vice speaker. It is time for him to accept the outcome."