Lawmakers denied party candidacy for April vote vow to run as independents


Major political parties Monday moved to cut a significant number of incumbent lawmakers in their selection of candidates for the April elections in a bid to solicit more support with fresh faces.

The moves, widely expected as polls show deep disillusionment and an anti-incumbent mood among voters, led to an outcry from politicians denied candidacy of their affiliated parties. Many said they would defect and run as independents.

The ruling Saenuri Party announced its second batch of candidates, numbering 81, and 13 constituencies for strategic nomination.

Six-term Rep. Hong Sa-duck was chosen to stand in a constituency of Jongno at the heart of Seoul, while 27-year-old political novice Sohn Soo-jo will fight the Busan Sasang constituency against Moon Jae-in, the liberal opposition’s rising presidential candidate.

Fourteen incumbent lawmakers failed to win the party ticket, including Reps. Jang Kwang-keun, Jin Seong-ho, You Jung-hyun and Yoon Young. Out of the 14, 11 belong to a faction loyal to President Lee Myung-bak, which has long been in rivalry with another group of lawmakers following the current party chief Rep. Park Geun-hye. 

Meanwhile, the 13 districts chosen for strategic nomination include the constituencies of Reps. Chin Soo-hee, Chun Yu-ok and Shin Ji-ho, all pro-Lee members.

Rep. Chun, in particular, has been a vocal critic of party chief Park, Lee’s former rival during the presidential nomination race and now Saenuri’s leading presidential candidate.

Strategic nomination means that the party leaders will handpick a candidate from, or regardless of, the current pool of applicants.

“Strategic nomination doesn’t necessarily mean de-selection of an incumbent representative,” explained Rep. Hwang Young-chu, the party’s spokesperson, during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul.

Yet, many party insiders viewed that the incumbent lawmakers from those districts are almost certain to be denied the party ticket.

“I can’t help but think that I was discriminated against because I belong to the pro-Lee faction. I demand party leaders to explain the reasons why my constituency was included,” Rep. Shin told a press conference after the list of 13 was announced.

Rep. Chun also cried foul, raising suspicion about chief Park’s political intentions behind the decision.

Saenuri, struggling to turn its flagging fortunes around in the crucial poll, decided earlier to rate its lawmakers on public popularity and deprive the bottom 25 percent, or around 30 of them, of the chance to seek reelection under the party’s banner. 

On the opposition side, the Democratic United Party announced Monday candidates for its traditional stronghold of Honam region, replacing nearly half of its incumbent lawmakers with new faces.

Of the main opposition party’s 28 lawmakers, it eliminated six incumbents in the nomination race, while six others decided to challenge a new constituency or to forego re-election. The party decided to field none in a constituency in Gwangju, after a voluntary campaigner jumped to his death amid allegations of irregularities. 

The six who were denied the nomination are Reps. Cho Young-teck, Choi In-kee, Kim Youn-jin, Kim Jae-kyun, Kang Bong-kyun and Shin Kuhn.

All six claimed it was an unfair decision, while the first four said they would run as independent candidates.

“The candidate selection committee, with no proper criteria or guideline, dropped candidates who have no reason to be disqualified,” they said in a joint statement.

Rep. Kang, a former finance minister, has been criticized by party members for his “dovish” stance on the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, while the DUP fought to stop the pact’s ratification.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)