Seoul ruling party in turmoil after nomination chief signaled resignation

Seoul’s ruling conservative party faced internal turbulence after the head of its nomination-management committee signaled his resignation, saying the party appears to be in a deep coma-like state and that the situation hurts to watch.

Lee Jeong-hyeon told JTBC in a phone interview that he would step away to avoid becoming a spark for further conflict, adding that for now he wants to clear his head and rest.

He also implied criticism of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who has resisted submitting candidate applications while pushing changes such as an Innovation Steering Committee. Lee said that, in principle, everyone must follow the same standards and rules, softly signaling disapproval of Oh’s approach.

Party leadership said they had attempted to contact Lee to persuade him to return, but contact had not been established at the time of the interview.

Jang Dong-hyeok, the party’s chairman, publicly urged Lee to come back and finish the “innovation” nominations to ensure a victory in the local elections, but Lee maintained he simply wanted to step back for the moment.

The immediate impact is expected to ripple into local-election preparations, including a preselection debate for the North Gyeongsang Province governor candidate, scheduled the day after tomorrow, with potential disruption to the party’s local election operations.

For international audiences, the episode underscores how Seoul’s governance and the party’s control over candidate selection can influence policy directions, regulatory environments, and business confidence in South Korea. The outcome of these internal rifts can affect the pace of reforms, technology policy, and investment climate in a key U.S. ally and trading partner, with potential knock-on effects for regional security coordination and supply chains involving the United States.