The Democratic Party on the 29th recruited Ha Jung-woo, a former senior presidential secretary for AI future planning, and selected Jeon Eun-su, a former presidential spokesperson, as it prepares for the June 3 parliamentary by-elections. The party is widely seen as putting figures from the Lee Jae-myung administration at the forefront to rally its base.
At a talent recruitment event at the National Assembly, party leader Jung Cheong-rae said Ha, nicknamed “HaGPT,” was “a talent I wanted to bring in even if it took not just three visits, but 30.”
Jung described Jeon as “a capable person who was born and raised in the provinces and has an earnest commitment to balanced development,” adding that the party had already recruited her ahead of the 22nd general election. He urged both to “win,” signaling nominations.
The party said it is using three tracks for strategic nominations in the by-elections: outside recruitment, internal selection and redeploying existing figures. Ha is being brought in from outside, while Jeon is an internal pick, it said.
Ha is being mentioned as a candidate in Busan’s Buk-gu Gap district, and Jeon in South Chungcheong’s Asan Eul district. Byun Sung-wan, head of the party’s Busan chapter, and Lee Jung-moon, head of its South Chungcheong chapter, also attended.
After Jung’s remarks, Ha said he would return to his “warm hometown of Busan,” where his “mother, older sister, older brothers and friends” live, and work for its development. “This is the golden time for a major transformation and leap,” he said, adding that with “physical AI,” Busan “can become the very center of global maritime AI.”
Jeon said she had stayed connected to people while working as a teacher, lawyer and spokesperson. “Now I will face the public directly and solve difficulties on the ground,” she said.
Earlier, the party strategically nominated Kim Nam-jun, a former presidential spokesperson, in Incheon’s Gyeyang Eul district, and Kim Nam-kuk, a Democratic Party spokesperson who previously served as a digital communications secretary, in Gyeonggi’s Ansan Gap district. If Ha and Jeon are confirmed, the number of candidates from the Lee administration would rise to four.
The by-elections will be held in 14 constituencies and have been dubbed a “mini general election.” Vacancies include five previously confirmed seats and nine additional openings tied to the president’s inauguration, the resignation of presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, and rulings invalidating elections, as well as seats vacated by runs for regional government posts. Of the 14 districts, 13 were held by the Democratic Party.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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