People Power Party hints at 'new figure' for Gyeonggi governor nomination

The People Power Party's Nomination Management Committee has hinted at the possibility of a 'third figure' emerging in its selection of the Gyeonggi Province governor candidate for the June local elections, by considering strategic nominations and additional applications. Currently, there are two applicants for the PPP's Gyeonggi governor nomination: Supreme Council member Yang Hyang-ja and former lawmaker Ham Jin-gyu. Although the committee has completed interviews with them, it has been unable to reach a conclusion for over two weeks, judging that the current applicants alone lack competitiveness for the general election.

Lee Jung-hyun, the committee chairman, stated that he is reviewing ways to broaden the scope of candidate selection and described the current situation as 'deliberately shaking things up.' This is interpreted as a strategic decision to introduce a new figure beyond the existing two-person lineup to overturn the election. Sources indicate that within the committee, there has been discussion about holding one more round of applications if more candidates come forward, in order to secure competitive contenders. This strategy aims to find 'leadership that can shake up the Seoul metropolitan area political landscape,' which is deemed necessary for the Gyeonggi governor election.

The committee also discussed a strategy of directly recruiting and deploying highly recognized prominent figures. However, individuals mentioned as potential presidential contender-level candidates, such as former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min and former minister Kim Moon-soo, have all maintained a negative stance on running. Yoo has repeatedly dismissed any intention to run, and Kim's camp has also stated he has no plans to do so.