The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has decided to amend its party charter and rules to allow the central party's nomination management committee to recommend candidates for basic local government heads in cities with populations of 500,000 or more, despite fierce internal opposition.
The PPP announced on the afternoon of January 11 that it passed the party charter and rules amendments at a standing national committee meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul.
Policy Committee Chairman Chung Jum-sik had reported on the proposed amendments on January 9. The changes would allow the central nomination committee to handle nominations for basic local government heads in districts, cities, and counties with populations of 500,000 or more, or those approved by the supreme council.
The party's junior lawmakers' group "Alternative and Future" publicly opposed the move, stating it "goes against intra-party democracy and local decentralization."
Some within the party interpret the amendments as an attempt to weaken the pro-Han (pro-Han Dong-hoon) faction.
Under the new nomination criteria, the central party would control district mayor and basic council member nominations in Seoul's Songpa-gu, which overlaps with the constituencies of pro-Han lawmakers Bae Hyun-jin and Park Jung-hoon, and Seoul's Gangnam-gu, where pro-Han lawmaker Ko Dong-jin's constituency is located.
PPP Secretary General Chung Hee-yong told reporters, "This expresses our commitment to conduct nominations more objectively and fairly from the central party level."
The standing national committee also approved adding an exception to the party charter. The new provision allows by-elections instead of establishing an emergency committee when supreme council members resign to run in local elections.
Among current leadership, Supreme Council Member Kim Jae-won has declared his candidacy for North Gyeongsang Province governor. Supreme Council Member Shin Dong-wook is considering running for Seoul mayor, while Supreme Council Member Yang Hyang-ja is weighing a by-election bid for the Pyeongtaek-eul constituency in Gyeonggi Province.
The PPP plans to convene a national committee meeting on January 12 for final approval of the amendments before implementation. The party will also announce the chairman of the local election nomination management committee at a supreme council meeting that morning.
