The People Power Party's (PPP) Nomination Management Committee announced Thursday that it will proceed with a six-candidate primary for the Daegu mayoral race, excluding PPP lawmaker Joo Ho-young and former Korea Communications Commission Chairperson Lee Jin-suk, whose injunction to suspend the effect of their nomination cutoffs was rejected by the court.
Park Deok-heum, chairman of the Nomination Management Committee, said after a meeting at the party's central headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, "We plan to proceed as planned with a total of six candidates — Yoo Young-ha, Yoon Jae-ok, Lee Jae-man, Choi Eun-seok, Choo Kyung-ho and Hong Seok-jun — who will go through debates and a preliminary primary to select two candidates, followed by a final primary to choose the ultimate nominee." He added, "We unanimously decided to proceed with the primary in exactly the same format as confirmed on March 22."
Park also said, "Regarding the appeal for review filed by candidate Lee Jin-suk, the committee deliberated and voted to reject it." On the reason for rejecting Lee's appeal, he said, "The same situation as with lawmaker Joo emerged. The content of the appeal came out almost identically."
He continued, "Although candidates Lee Jin-suk and Joo Ho-young will not be joining the primary process, we expect them to continue playing greater roles at the center of Korea's conservative movement, and we earnestly ask them to unite their efforts for victory in the local elections and the development of Daegu."
Joo's court injunction challenging the cutoff was rejected the same day. Joo had argued that the Nomination Management Committee failed to follow proper procedures, including committee member voting, in the process of excluding him from the nomination. Joo wrote on Facebook, "I will first carefully analyze the court's ruling and then prudently determine my course of action going forward."
Lee issued a statement the same day calling the decision "a self-destructive move that will lead to defeat in the June 3 local elections." She expressed her intention to run as an independent, saying, "I will seek the choice of Daegu citizens through a citizens' primary."