Jo Gil-hyeong Withdraws Chungbuk Governor Candidacy in Protest of Nomination Method

Jo Gil-hyeong, former mayor of Chungju and a preliminary candidate for the People Power Party's nomination for Chungbuk Provincial Governor, has announced his intention to resign from his preliminary candidacy, citing dissatisfaction with the nomination process, including an alleged 'cut-in-line' nomination submission. In a late-afternoon Facebook post on the 17th, Jo stated, "This party does not recognize me, and it doesn't seem like the place for me," expressing his decision to cancel his nomination application submitted to the People Power Party and withdraw his preliminary candidacy. As reasons for his withdrawal, Jo pointed to incomprehensible circumstances such as the 'cut-in-line nomination application' that occurred after the nomination screening had concluded.

This move is widely seen as a reaction to Kim Soo-min, former Deputy Governor of Chungbuk, who reportedly applied for additional nomination for Chungbuk Governor on the same day. In his Facebook post, Jo criticized, "Begging for nomination from them, not from the citizens, is a shameful act," and confessed his feelings, "I cannot help but admit that this party today is no longer the party I loved." While he initially concluded his post with the phrase 'I bid farewell to this party today,' he later deleted the portion referring to 'this party.'

Following Jo's announcement of his withdrawal, People Power Party lawmakers from the Chungbuk region met with party leadership on the morning of the 18th and demanded a primary election to select the candidate for Chungbuk Governor. They noted that Jo had not yet officially submitted a letter of resignation or party withdrawal to the party.

Lee Jung-hyun, chairman of the People Power Party's Nomination Committee, stated on the afternoon of the 18th that a decision regarding the additional applicant for Chungbuk Governor would be made after interviews scheduled for the 20th. Yoon Hee-geun, former Commissioner of the National Police Agency, declared a halt to all election campaign activities on the 18th, while Yoon Gap-geun, former Chairman of the Chungbuk Provincial Party Chapter, expressed opposition to procedural changes implemented for a specific individual.