By Ian Werther in News — 14 Mar 2026

South Korea's ruling PPP chair resigns amid Seoul mayor's nomination dispute

Lee Jung-hyun, the chair of the People Power Party’s (PPP) nomination management committee, suddenly resigned on the 13th as the party faces renewed internal turmoil ahead of local elections. The resignation is linked to ongoing friction over Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s refusal to apply for local election nominations.

Analysts say Oh’s repeated refusals to enter the nomination process have left the committee under pressure, with the chair taking a hard line. A committee member told CBS/Nocut News that “overnight” events triggered the move and that the chair had signaled ongoing dissatisfaction with being pushed around by the mayor’s side.

Title: Former New York Mayor and Mrs. Walker, callers at White House. Washington, D.C., July 19. "I wouldn't accept the Democratic nomination for Mayor of New York City for anything", former Mayor Jimmy Walker, told newsmen today as he emerged from a conference with President Roosevelt. Accompanied by Mrs. Walker the former Mayor said he did not talk politics with the president but discussed a Hudson River Bridge project--a $150,000,000 railroad freight project across the Hudson River at 57th Street combined with low-rent housing project along Ninth and Tenth Avenues, 7/19/37
Abstract/medium: 1 negative : glass ; 4 x 5 in. or smaller — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Campaign aides for a local candidate said the two extensions of the nomination application period damaged the committee’s standing, and viewed Oh’s refusal to apply as the most influential factor in the chair’s decision to resign. After the party leadership adopted a resolution to sever ties with President Yoon Suk-yeol in order to reopen nominations, Oh nevertheless did not submit a nomination again.

Inside the party, conflict centered on the Daegu and Busan nomination rules. The party’s vice secretary-general, Jeong Hee-yong, cited disagreements over how the Daegu-Busan nominations should be conducted. Another party official suggested that Oh’s approach and the rule disputes intensified the clash, with talk that the chair sought to incentivize new challengers, only to be checked by other members.

Some insiders say the resignation reflects broader frustration that the party cannot be seen as merely “following” a candidate’s demands. A party source noted that public opinion has leaned against Oh for dragging out the nomination process, creating a perception that the party is being pulled by internal dynamics rather than presenting a clear, fair path to voters.

Chairs and Tables For Jubilee Party Outside Essendon Church — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

National polling by the National Election Survey (NBS) shows the PPP at 17 percent support nationwide, far behind the main opposition Democratic Party’s 43 percent. In the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, traditionally a conservative stronghold, the Democratic Party leads 29 percent to 25 percent for the PPP, within the poll’s margin of error. The survey used mobile phone numbers for interviews, with a 95 percent confidence level and a ±3.1 percentage point margin of error; the response rate was 17.3 percent.

For U.S. readers, the episode matters because South Korea’s local elections influence national policy directions, governance stability, and regional security cooperation with the United States. Domestic political strife can shape how Seoul prioritizes economic policy, technology and supply-chain resilience, and alliance commitments at a time when U.S.-Korea cooperation remains central to regional security, semiconductor supply chains, and broader Indo-Pacific diplomacy.

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