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Song Seung-hyun songsh@ajunews.com

Democratic Party Faces Growing Calls to Nominate Kim Yong as Leader Chung Cheong-rae Stays Quiet Calls inside the Democratic Party to nominate Kim Yong, former deputy head of the Democratic Research Institute, for a parliamentary by-election being held alongside the June 3 local elections are growing, but party leader Chung Cheong-rae has maintained a cautious stance, citing “public standards.” Chung visited Daegu on Saturday and attended the opening of the campaign office for Daegu mayoral candidate Kim Boo-kyum, continuing election-related field events. He did not address Kim Yong’s nomination. At a party leadership meeting on April 22, Chung said, in remarks seen as aimed at Kim, “The core strategy of every election is the public’s standards and the perspective of winning.” On the same day, Secretary-General Cho Seung-rae told CBS Radio’s “Park Sung-tae’s News Show” that the party was “reviewing it comprehensively,” while indicating there were many negative views within the party. Cho said there were competing arguments: that political consideration was needed for what some describe as a victim of a “fabricated indictment” by “political prosecutors,” and that the nomination would not be appropriate in the eyes of the public. Since then, party leaders have largely avoided commenting on the issue. As the leadership stays cautious, more lawmakers have publicly urged Kim’s nomination. Rep. Ahn Ho-young wrote on Facebook on Saturday that “Kim must run” to secure victory in the by-election. Kim, described as a close aide to President Lee Jae-myung, has openly sought the party’s nomination in Gyeonggi Province’s Ansan Gap district. He posted on Facebook a day earlier, “I’ve had a run of luck with TV appearances lately, so maybe nomination luck will come, too.” Kim’s side claims about 60 Democratic Party lawmakers want him to run. Supreme Council members including Reps. Lee Eon-ju, Kang Deuk-gu and Hwang Myung-sun, as well as senior lawmakers including Reps. Cho Jung-sik, Kim Tae-nyeon and Park Jie-won, are said to agree on the need to nominate him. The party leadership, which has remained silent, is expected to decide by late this month or early next month. The party plans to finalize strategic nominations for by-elections, including Ansan Gap, by early next month. 2026-04-26 16:57:17
Reform Party floor leader vows to stop complaints driving school soccer bans in Busan Cheon Ha-ram, floor leader of the Reform Party, visited Yeonje Futsal Stadium in Busan’s Yeonje District on April 26 and said, “A city where children don’t run and play has no future. We will fix, through institutions, the reality of education being damaged by malicious complaints.” Cheon made the remarks while visiting the venue with Busan mayoral candidate Jeong Yi-han, pointing to what he said was a widespread practice of elementary schools banning soccer during lunch breaks. “When I first heard that elementary schools were banning soccer at lunchtime, I thought it would be extremely rare,” Cheon said. “But after looking into it, it amounts to 312 schools nationwide.” He claimed Busan was the worst case, saying 105 schools — 34.6% of the city’s 303 elementary schools — prohibit soccer. Cheon said the bans reflect a lack of systems to deal with malicious complaints, calling it a “failure of politics” to prevent a loud minority from disrupting schools. “We will correct the reality in which the education of the majority is harmed by malicious complaints,” he said. “Schoolyards should not be sterile rooms where only the dust of complaints piles up; they should be a ‘huge growth plate’ where children grow.” Jeong proposed overhauling complaint-handling so teachers do not have to shoulder it directly. He also pledged stronger institutional support to protect teachers from disputes or lawsuits arising during educational activities. Jeong said he would work with the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education to create conditions that guarantee children’s physical activity and experiential learning. “We will answer not with politics that waits, but with politics that solves problems on the ground,” he said. “We will return Busan’s education to normal.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-26 15:13:07
Democratic Party’s Seo Young-kyo Says She Won’t Run for Floor Leader, Will Focus on Committee Roles Seo Young-kyo, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party, said April 26 that she will not run in the party’s upcoming election for floor leader, saying she will focus on her duties as chair of a parliamentary investigation panel and as head of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee. In a Facebook post, Seo noted that the party has begun formal procedures for the floor leader race, including forming an election management committee. She said she had considered running as someone who sought the post in 2025. “But this time, I will concentrate and do my best” in her current roles, she wrote, referring to her chairmanship of a special parliamentary committee investigating allegations involving what the panel calls politically motivated, fabricated indictments by prosecutors under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, and her post as chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Seo said her work has focused on uncovering what she described as the reality behind alleged fabrication by the Yoon administration, while also pursuing prosecutorial reform and legislation related to people’s livelihoods. “As chair of the parliamentary investigation, many of the wrongdoings committed by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration to eliminate political opponents, including President Lee Jae-myung, have come to light,” Seo wrote. She added that as judiciary committee chair she is carrying out “important tasks” including prosecutorial and judicial reform and legislation on livelihoods and the economy. Seo ran in the Democratic Party’s 2025 floor leader election, competing against Rep. Kim Byung-kee, but lost. With Seo opting out of the next race, Reps. Park Jeong and Baek Hye-ryeon are expected to compete for the post against Rep. Han Byung-do, who has already declared his candidacy.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-26 14:58:52
Democratic Party Names Song Young-gil, Kim Nam-jun as Incheon Strategic Candidates The Democratic Party said it will make strategic nominations in Incheon for the by-elections being held alongside the June 3 local elections, naming Song Young-gil for Yeonsu A and Kim Nam-jun for Gyeyang B. The party’s Strategic Nomination Management Committee made the decision at a meeting held Thursday afternoon at the National Assembly. Senior spokesperson Kang Jun-hyeon told reporters after the meeting, “The committee decided to strategically nominate former party leader Song Young-gil in Incheon’s Yeonsu A and former presidential office spokesperson Kim Nam-jun in Gyeyang B.” Kang underscored the importance of Yeonsu A, calling it “a difficult district for our party and a core strategic area we must defend.” He said Song was placed there strategically, citing his political weight as “a valuable asset” who has served as a five-term lawmaker, Incheon mayor and party leader. Kang added that Song “had to endure an unjust sacrifice due to excessive targeted investigations by the Yoon Suk Yeol prosecution government,” but left the party temporarily, proved his innocence and returned. “We judged him to be the most competitive candidate in Yeonsu A,” Kang said. On Kim, Kang said he “deeply understands President Lee Jae-myung’s governing philosophy,” and has strong knowledge of the district after assisting Lee since Lee’s time as a lawmaker for Gyeyang B. Kang also cited Kim’s communication skills as a former journalist and spokesperson. Kang said Kim is a candidate who can “accurately grasp the president’s intentions” and address local issues quickly, calling him the right person to help the district move forward and to advance the party’s goals of winning the local elections and ensuring the success of the Lee Jae-myung government. The party also explained why it did not select former Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun, who had sought the Yeonsu A nomination. Secretary-General Cho Seung-rae said Park is “a valuable asset” and “a regrettable loss” from the party’s perspective, but said that after considering the overall situation, the party concluded Song was the more appropriate choice. Cho said the committee plans to meet nearly every day to wrap up strategic nominations quickly. “We have to finish by the first week of May,” he said, adding that the party will narrow down the remaining districts through frequent meetings.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 18:18:51
Democratic Party’s Han Byung-do declares bid to seek second term as floor leader Han Byung-do, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party who stepped down as floor leader to run in the party’s next floor leader election set for May 6, formally declared his candidacy on Wednesday, seeking a second term. Speaking at the National Assembly’s press briefing room, Han pointed to what he called achievements over the past 100 days, saying he had handled bills related to people’s livelihoods and passed a supplementary budget and a special law on investment in the United States. Han said that within five days of taking office he pushed through a second comprehensive special counsel bill, followed by three judicial reform bills and legislation to establish the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Office. He also said bills tied to government policy tasks were processed under what he described as a solid cooperation system among the party, government and presidential office. Han urged support, saying the next floor leader should swiftly pass livelihood-related legislation to firmly support state affairs and lead the party to a landslide victory in local elections. “The top priority is winning the local elections, the first test for the Lee Jae-myung government,” Han said, pledging to turn regional pledges into legislation, policy and budgets and carry them out quickly. Referring to his past work with Lee, Han said he would help ensure the government’s success through broad legislative efforts and cooperation with the opposition. Han said he served as strategy planning committee chair when Lee was party leader and as chief of the campaign situation room when Lee was a presidential candidate, adding that he would apply that experience after victories in both the general election and the presidential election. He said he would move “like lightning” to process legislation after a local election win, remain open to cooperation with the opposition, but respond firmly to what he called irresponsible obstruction. After the news conference, Han told reporters that the distribution of standing committee posts in the second half of the year would be discussed with the newly elected National Assembly speaker and the opposition, and that the floor leadership team would be formed after reviewing legislative progress by committee. Han had hinted at a run in a meeting with reporters on April 21 and resigned as floor leader. At that time, he said his 100 days in the post felt like a year, describing the responsibility of quickly addressing internal party turmoil while simultaneously pursuing what he called an end to “insurrection,” recovery of livelihoods and broad social reform. He also said there was still much to do, including fully uncovering what he called fabricated indictments by “Yoon Suk Yeol’s political prosecution,” swiftly passing livelihood legislation and achieving constitutional revision. Han was elected floor leader in a by-election on Jan. 11 after the previous floor leader, Kim Byung-kee, resigned amid controversies. In his acceptance speech after that win, Han said the time allowed to the floor leader was short but the responsibility was heavy, and pledged urgent action on what he called ending “insurrection,” prosecutorial reform, judicial reform and improving livelihoods.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 11:28:15
Democratic Party’s Cheon Jun-ho vows to pass livelihood bills in plenary session Cheon Jun-ho, acting floor leader of the Democratic Party, said April 23 that the party will convene a plenary session and move to pass pending livelihood-related bills to support the Lee Jae-myung government’s state affairs agenda. He also vowed to pursue the truth behind what he called fabricated indictments by prosecutors during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. Speaking at a party policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly on Thursday morning, Cheon said, “With the domestic and international situation severe, the Democratic Party will do its utmost to firmly support the Lee Jae-myung government’s governance and respond without disruption to livelihood issues.” He said the plenary session scheduled for Thursday afternoon would handle “state tasks and urgent livelihood bills.” Cheon said more than 240 bills have been placed on the plenary agenda and called on the People Power Party to cooperate. “Delaying passage without any particular reason is a dereliction of duty by the National Assembly,” he said, urging lawmakers to take a broad view in processing bills “for the national interest and people’s livelihoods,” adding there were no specific issues currently driving partisan confrontation. Cheon also said hearings held by a National Assembly special committee investigating allegations of fabricated indictments by what he called the “political prosecution” under the Yoon administration had laid bare the reality of such cases. “The reality of seven major fabricated indictments carried out by Yoon Suk Yeol’s political prosecution has been revealed,” Cheon said. He claimed Yoon’s goal was “only one: removing Lee Jae-myung and erasing the Moon Jae-in administration.” Cheon singled out the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, saying it was “beyond fabrication, at the level of fiction.” He said an audio recording involving Prosecutor Park Sang-yong showed it was a fabricated indictment in which prosecutors “intervened on all fronts.” Cheon alleged that prosecutors “covered it up” despite receiving a report from the Financial Supervisory Service on suspected wrongdoing by the Ssangbangwool Group, and that the result was a “stitched-together” investigation that gave Kim Seong-tae a pass while indicting Lee and people around him. He also described the case involving alleged manipulation of real estate statistics under the Moon government as a “targeted investigation” hastily put together 28 days before a general election. He called the case involving the fatal shooting of a South Korean public official in the West Sea a political retaliation case, saying it took only 43 days to move from the incident to a complaint being filed. Cheon said the special committee would continue tracking the allegations through an on-site inspection Thursday of the Financial Supervisory Service and the Board of Audit and Inspection, and through a comprehensive hearing scheduled for April 28.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 10:08:06
Kim Han-jeong Camp Files Police Complaint Against Choi Hyeon-deok Over Alleged Fake Address Registration Kim Han-jeong, who has declared his bid for Namyangju mayor, said on the 22nd that he filed a complaint with police over allegations that rival preliminary candidate Choi Hyeon-deok registered a false address in connection with the June 3 local elections. In a media notice, Kim’s camp said it submitted the complaint on suspicion of violating the Public Official Election Act. The camp said Choi is registered at a one-room unit in Byeollae-myeon, Namyangju, describing it as about 6 pyeong in size and saying its layout makes typical family living difficult, raising questions about whether he actually lives there. The camp added that claims have circulated in the community and in some reports that Choi’s family lives in Goyang, and that verification is needed on where his day-to-day life was based. “Taken together, these circumstances require clear confirmation of whether the address change was merely formal for the purpose of running for office,” the camp said, calling for a thorough investigation. It said the timing of the address change, actual residence and the existence of a living base are key factors in determining a fake address registration and should be checked carefully through objective materials. The camp said fake address registration can significantly affect election fairness and voters’ judgment, adding, “This is not an attack targeting a specific person but an unavoidable step to protect public trust in election order.” It urged authorities to strictly determine the facts. 2026-04-22 17:21:18
Democratic Party, government and presidential office to form PM-led task force for balanced regional development The Democratic Party, the government and the presidential office said they will form a task force led by the Prime Minister’s Office to pursue balanced regional development and move into full implementation once personnel appointments are completed. Rep. Kim Young-bae, a member of the Democratic Party’s Special Committee on Balanced Growth, told reporters after a ruling party-government-presidential office policy meeting on the 22nd that the session broadly reviewed the Lee Jae-myung government’s strategy for balanced growth. “First, the Prime Minister’s Office’s task force for a major national land and spatial transformation has been formed, and the personnel process is nearly at the final stage,” Kim said. Kim said participants agreed that once vetting and appointments are finished, the prime minister-chaired task force and a pan-government consultative body will serve as the main pillars, with the Local Era Committee and the party’s special committee working together in a ruling party-government-presidential office framework to carry out balanced-growth policy tasks. Kim also outlined a timetable for follow-up talks. He said the three sides plan to hold another consultative meeting by the end of June, with the special committee and the presidential office meeting together, and then use those discussions to shape legislative and budget strategies to be addressed by the end of August. Kim said the meeting focused in particular on a special law for “mega special zones.” He described it as legislation that would consolidate various sandbox-based pilot projects and support their designation and operation at a broader regional level, including tax, fiscal and financial support systems, with provisions aimed at backing corporate activity and industrial ecosystems. He said the goal is to pursue legislation within the regular session of the National Assembly, with relevant ministries and standing committees moving quickly on deliberations. Kim added that participants also discussed other local-related campaign pledges as key bills, including legislation to establish an investment corporation for the southeastern region, a special law to create an Arctic shipping route committee, and a bill to establish a public medical school.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:18:19
Democratic Party Weighs Special Subsidies, 30 Trillion Won Fund to Draw Firms to Mega Special Zones The Democratic Party is considering special subsidies and support from a 30 trillion won National Growth Fund to attract companies to “mega special zones” it is promoting in five regional hubs outside the Seoul metropolitan area, according to reporting by Aju Business Daily. The party has been discussing a package of measures aimed at boosting regional economies and fostering national strategic industries. The plan would offer what it calls top-level preferential treatment for anchor companies and partner firms in the designated zones, including special subsidies, large-scale investment through the National Growth Fund and an expansion of industry-academia convergence districts, the report said. As part of broader investment incentives, the party plans to create a new “growth engine” special subsidy. It is also considering expanding subsidies for local investment and foreign investment, with additional preferential support tied to the growth-engine program. In finance, the party plans to invest 30 trillion won in the National Growth Fund and 700 billion won in a Regional Growth Fund by year’s end, the report said. The package would include preferential policy-finance loan rates, expanded insurance and guarantee limits, and continued export voucher support. The plan also includes tax support. For large-scale local investment, the party would designate “opportunity development special zones” and provide tax benefits using investment, employment and R&D tax credits, according to the report. The party also discussed steps to strengthen the business environment and build a more active industrial ecosystem in the regions to help the mega special zones take hold. Measures under review include establishing nine “growth engine” branded colleges and convergence research institutes at key national universities, expanding industry-academia convergence districts, and strengthening cooperation programs such as “K-Quick Start,” which trains job candidates. For infrastructure, the plan would use advanced national industrial complexes, MAX clusters and RE100 industrial parks to build regional hubs and concentrate investment in core facilities and innovation infrastructure, the report said. To develop industrial ecosystems, the party is considering expanding regional block-funding R&D, including large “growth engine” projects that combine technology development, talent training, and testing and demonstration infrastructure. Other measures include building startup cities and giving preferential treatment to startup support programs. The party is also considering operating a one-stop corporate investment support center to provide close, one-on-one assistance and speed up permitting and approvals within the mega special zones. In addition, the party is pushing to enact a special law to support the policies. It plans to draft legislation covering designation and operating procedures for the mega special zones, broad regulatory exemptions and the policy package, then submit a bill after consultations with relevant ministries, the report said. A lawmaker on the party’s Special Committee on Balanced National Growth said in a phone interview with Aju Business Daily on the 22nd that the amount and scale of subsidies have not been finalized. “The amount and scale of the subsidies are not yet clearly set,” the lawmaker said. “But we will continue support at a fairly large level.” The lawmaker added that the party aims to pass the special law for designating mega special zones within this year, saying it will move as quickly as possible to establish a legal foundation.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 16:40:00
Democratic Party Unveils Local Election Platform, Calls for Region-Led Growth The Democratic Party on the 22nd announced an overall platform for the June 3 local elections built around five visions and 15 policy tasks, as it seeks victory in the vote. At a platform briefing held at the National Assembly, the party said it would pursue what it called a major shift aimed at “normalizing the nation,” including new-industry growth and region-led development tied to the Lee Jae-myung government’s “5 poles, 3 special zones” approach. The party listed its five visions as: region-led growth and balanced national development; growth in new industries such as artificial intelligence and an economic leap; guaranteeing opportunity and “national success”; stabilizing livelihoods and a fair society; and “normalizing the nation” and restoring popular sovereignty. Han Jeong-ae, the party’s policy chief, said the local elections share a common goal of supporting the Lee Jae-myung government and achieving “balanced growth for the people.” She added that detailed pledges would be presented later. Yoo Dong-soo, the party’s vice chair for economic affairs, said the party would designate “mega special zones” linked to the government’s “5 poles, 3 special zones” policy to create regional growth hubs. He said the party would provide policy support including fiscal incentives and stronger local autonomy. Yoo also outlined a “Our Child Self-Reliance Fund,” under which the government would enroll children in a fund from birth and make regular deposits. He said withdrawals would be allowed after the child becomes an adult, with use limited to purposes such as education and starting a business. Park Sang-hyeok, the party’s vice chair for social affairs, said the party would introduce “climate insurance” to reduce economic losses caused by the climate crisis through an insurance system backed by the central or local governments. He also said the party would promote a “sunlight income village” policy, forming cooperatives on public land to install solar power plants and use the proceeds, and pursue supportive housing policies to help older adults and people with disabilities with daily living as society enters a super-aged era. Han noted that the terms of local government heads elected in this vote would be similar to President Lee’s, and urged Democratic Party candidates to take an active approach. “The Democratic Party and President Lee have a clear goal of carrying out balanced regional development and drawing out real growth engines,” Han said. “I hope those who will work with us are elected. Those who win in this local election should move forward proactively.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:30:42