South Korea's ruling party nomination chief resigns amid Daegu and Busan disputes

Lee Jung-hyeon, who oversaw the People Power Party’s nomination process for the June 3 local elections, said on Monday that he will resign from the post of chair of the nomination management committee. He cited an inability to pursue the direction he had envisioned any further and said he would take responsibility by stepping down.

Appointed to lead the party’s local-election nomination work on May 12, he resigned 29 days later. In his statement, he said he respected various viewpoints but could not continue pushing the direction he had in mind.

Jeong Hee-yong, the party’s deputy secretary-general who also serves as the vice chair of the nomination committee, told reporters that late-stage discussions revealed differences in opinion among committee members. He said the chair’s complex assessment of the nomination methods for Daegu and Busan contributed to the decision to resign.

Some within the ruling party have suggested Oh Se-hoon, the mayor of Seoul, may have influenced the move by declining to register for nominations. Oh has called on party leadership to act to implement the party’s ethics pledge and has urged the early formation of an innovation-focused campaign committee, saying he will not apply for nomination for now.

jang Dong-hyeok, the People Power Party’s leader, defended the integrity of the nomination process, saying, “Nominations are the lifeblood of fairness.” He and other party leaders plan to meet the resigned chairman directly to urge him to reconsider and continue in the role.

For U.S. readers, the episode highlights how internal party processes in South Korea can shape the field of candidates in major urban centers like Daegu, Busan, and Seoul. Local election outcomes influence economic policy, regulatory approaches, and Korea’s business environment, including strategies related to technology, manufacturing, and international supply chains that affect U.S. companies and markets.

Context for non-Korean readers: the PPP is the conservative ruling party in South Korea, and local elections determine mayors and city council members across the country. Daegu and Busan are among Korea’s largest cities and important hubs for industry and trade, while Seoul is the capital and political and economic center. The “ethics pledge” referenced relates to internal party standards for nominations, and the “innovation campaign committee” is a party effort to reform and modernize election strategies.