Chung Jin-suk, former chief of staff to the president, has withdrawn his candidacy application with the People Power Party for the June 3 National Assembly by-election.
"If my candidacy harms party unity or weakens our party's momentum to block the unilateral rule of a massive power, I will stop on that path," Chung said on his Facebook page Monday.
"I will return as a nameless rank-and-file member and serve without rank," Chung said. "I will devote myself at the lowest position for the victory of conservative patriotic forces."
He added, "The only alternative to stop the reckless drive of the Democratic Party is the People Power Party," urging supporters to "gather strength to keep the arrogant Lee Jae-myung government's shameless dictatorship in check."
Earlier, when Chung announced his plans to run in Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province, criticism of a so-called "Yoon Again nomination" emerged both within and outside the party. South Chungcheong Governor Kim Tae-heum, in particular, strongly protested by delaying his candidate registration, vowing to leave the party and run as an independent if Chung was nominated.
Amid such internal backlash, the People Power Party's nomination review committee had delayed Chung's nomination screening, determining that a candidate qualification review by the party ethics committee was necessary, as Chung has been indicted by the insurrection special prosecutor on charges of "failure to appoint and nominate Constitutional Court justices."
Under the People Power Party's regulations, those indicted on charges of violent crimes such as murder, disgraceful crimes such as sexual offenses, or corruption crimes are restricted from running in primaries and applying for nominations. However, if the person requests a review and reasons such as political persecution are acknowledged, application qualification can be granted through an ethics committee resolution.
Park Deok-heum, chairman of the People Power Party's nomination review committee, met with Chung at an undisclosed location in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the same day to convey concerns from within and outside the party and dissuade him from running, according to sources.
