The Democratic Party of Korea's Strategic Nomination Management Committee held its first meeting on the 26th, launching preparations for the June 3 local elections and by-elections while making clear its policy to minimize strategic nominations in the upcoming nomination process.
Hwang Hee, chairman of the Strategic Nomination Management Committee, met with reporters immediately after the first committee meeting held at the National Assembly. "Under party rules, strategic nominations are required for places where regional committee chairman positions are vacant," Hwang said. "We can accept strategic nomination recommendations for such cases, but since we have declared that party nominations must be conducted transparently and fairly, we will minimize strategic nominations as much as possible."
The meeting served as an introductory session, with no discussions on specific nomination targets or methods. "Today's meeting was introductory in nature," Hwang explained. "We discussed what the Strategic Nomination Management Committee does and what standards it will operate by."
The Democratic Party's Strategic Nomination Management Committee plans to begin full-scale discussions following a meeting with party leader Chung Chung-rae next week.
Candidate nominations for the June local elections and by-elections are expected to take some time. Asked about the possibility of primaries for candidate nominations in by-election districts, Hwang said, "Various methods are possible. We must ensure that the public sees the Democratic Party conducting nominations accurately and transparently."