PPP selects 12 candidates for general elections without primaries

Chung Young-hwan, center, head of the People Power Party's nomination comittee, announces on Sunday nomination decisions at the party's headquarters office in Yeouido, western Seoul. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol's governing party on Sunday announced 12 nominations for the April 10 general elections, awarding tickets to former aides of the president without holding internal primaries.

The nomination committee of the People Power Party (PPP) said Joo Jin-woo, the former legal affairs secretary of Yoon's office, was named as its candidate for Haeundae A District of Busan. Lee Seung-hwan, a former staffer in the office of Yoon's senior political secretary, was named as the PPP candidate in Seoul's Jungnang B District.

The decision will bring the total number of Yoon aides who won nominations without internal competition to three. Jun Hee-kyung, former first secretary of political affairs, won the nomination for Uijeongbu A District last week.

"We didn't have any other competitive applicants," said Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, secretary-general of the PPP, about the committee's decision to nominate Joo and Lee without primaries. "There was no reason to discriminate against them [for being close to Yoon] since they met the criteria."

The committee also announced 10 other nominations, allowing eight incumbent lawmakers to seek reelection. Among them were Rep. Choo Kyung-ho, former deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance, who will seek reelection in his Dalseong district of Daegu for a third term.

Three-term lawmaker Yun Jae-ok, currently serving as the PPP's floor leader, was named as the candidate for Dalseo B District of Daegu.

The committee also said it has made the strategic decision to have three senior lawmakers leave their districts to run in new constituencies where fierce competition against the rival Democratic Party is expected. Rep. Suh Byung-soo will run in Busan's Buk-Gangseo A District; Rep. Kim Tae-ho will run in Yangsan B in South Gyeongsang and Rep. Cho Hae-jin in Gimhae B of South Gyeongsang.

The committee also announced 22 constituencies where candidates will be finalized through internal primaries. In total, primaries will be held in 44 districts around the country including eight in Seoul, four in Gyeonggi, two in Incheon, five in Daegu and six in Busan.

As of Sunday, the PPP finalized 89 nominations and decided to hold primaries in 44 of the 253 constituencies around the country.

Many incumbent lawmakers will have to compete against former members of the presidential office and cabinet in the primaries. In Busan, two such competitions are scheduled, and another two lawmakers in Pohang will also go through primaries against former Yoon aides. In Chungcheong, two lawmakers will compete against former Yoon aides for the nomination.

The internal primaries must be concluded by Feb. 25, 45 days before the general elections. According to the committee, the primary will comprise 50 percent from opinion polls and 50 percent from votes of dues-paying party members.

The nomination committee will have more discussions on assigning candidates to new districts starting Monday. "If competitive candidates accept our suggestions, we can send them to the capital region where we are relatively weak or do not have applicants," Jang said.

BY SER MYO-JA [enational@joongang.co.kr]