The People Power Party (PPP) has confirmed Supreme Council member Yang Hyang-ja as its candidate for Gyeonggi governor in the June 3 local elections.
The party's Central Nomination Committee announced on Tuesday that Yang was selected as the final candidate after a two-day vote combining party member ballots (50 percent) and a public opinion poll (50 percent), which concluded the previous day. She beat former MBC announcer Lee Sung-bae and former lawmaker Ham Jin-gyu.
Yang drew attention as the first woman with only a high school diploma to become an executive at Samsung Electronics. She entered politics in 2016 as an outside recruit brought in by then-Democratic Party leader Moon Jae-in, who later became president.
Yang will face off against Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party in the Gyeonggi gubernatorial race. Former lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon of the Reform Party is also running as a conservative opposition candidate.
A possible candidate unification within the conservative camp has emerged as a variable. After a primary debate on the 28th of last month, Yang told reporters that "any force seeking to block the ruling party's monopoly should join hands together." The Reform Party and Cho's camp, however, have so far drawn a line against discussions on unification.
With the Gyeonggi nomination finalized, the PPP has now completed candidate selections for all 16 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial elections nationwide.
