Supporters of a candidate cut from the preliminary selection for the Mapo-eul district council race are criticizing the Seoul City Party and the Mapo-eul Party Chapter. [Photo = Provided by Reader]Nomination is the exclusive right of a political party to select candidates for an election. However, not all decisions are justified simply because nomination is an autonomous area within a party. In particular, basic councilor nominations, as the first gateway to electing resident representatives, require transparency in procedures, consistency in evaluation criteria, and fairness in candidate vetting.

The controversy surrounding the People Power Party's Seoul regional local election nominations is escalating into a series of lawsuits and accusations in Mapo-gu. While nomination disputes have been recurring in every election, this particular controversy is drawing significant attention because it involves individuals classified as part of the Han Dong-hoon faction among those embroiled in the dispute. Ham Woon-kyung, the Mapo-eul party chapter chairman, has also been classified by the political community as belonging to the Han Dong-hoon faction or having a pro-Han Dong-hoon inclination.

Rep. Bae Hyun-jin, the Seoul City Party chairman, and Oh Se-hoon, the Mayor of Seoul, are also viewed by the political circles in Yeouido as being aligned with the pro-Han Dong-hoon faction, distancing themselves from the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership. In this context, with the Mapo-eul district council nomination controversy also surfacing, the factional dispute surrounding the People Power Party's Seoul regional nominations appears to be intensifying.

On the afternoon of the 24th, the People Power Party's Seoul City Party confirmed the nominations of Han Song-yi, Ahn Mi-ja, Kim Jin-cheon, and Baek Nam-hwan as candidates for the Mapo-eul district council. It was understood that one preliminary candidate who had been preparing to run in the Mapo-eul District B constituency, covering Mangwon 1-dong and Seogyo-dong, was excluded from the final nomination list.

Some argue that the exclusion of this preliminary candidate cannot be seen as a simple matter of candidate elimination. This is because Mapo-eul is already an area where allegations of financial transactions surrounding district council nominations and party chapter operations have escalated into a series of lawsuits and accusations.

In a phone conversation with Hanmi Ilbo, Lee Gyeong-ju, president of the Taegeukgi Mugunghwa Saranghoe, who is familiar with the situation in Mapo-gu, stated, "I have filed a complaint with the Mapo Police Station against Ham Woon-kyung, the party chapter chairman, on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, receiving illegal political funds, and violating the Political Funds Act." He claimed, "The reason for the noisy nomination process is the unprincipled nominations by the Han Dong-hoon faction."

In response, Ham Woon-kyung, the Mapo-eul party chapter chairman, countered in a phone call with Hanmi Ilbo, "I have filed a lawsuit for defamation because the allegations are false," adding, "They will naturally be punished for spreading false information."

Consequently, the Mapo-eul district council nomination controversy has moved beyond a simple candidate exclusion issue and has escalated into a legal battle involving accusations and counter-accusations. The core issues are whether financial transactions occurred during the party chapter's operations and nomination process, and whether those transactions were of a nature that could influence the nomination.

While the Gangnam-gap city council nomination controversy focused on exclusion from preliminary selections and candidate vetting issues, the Mapo-eul controversy differs in that it involves allegations of financial transactions and internal conflicts surfacing simultaneously during the district council nomination process. The question also arises as to how far financial relationships between the local political establishment holding nomination power and local councilors/preliminary candidates are permissible.

Ultimately, the core of the Mapo-eul case lies in why the preliminary candidate was excluded and what criteria and procedures were followed in that decision. If the candidate's past record from 17 years ago was the issue, the Seoul City Party Nomination Management Committee must explain what criteria were used.

In particular, the controversy intensifies when considering that the preliminary candidate received the Camellia Medal of the National Order of Merit from the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The criteria must be clear: was the decision to deem the candidate unqualified based solely on past records, or were their local activities, public service, and honors also evaluated?

Above all, while nomination is a party's prerogative, it should not be a method that excludes the opportunity for fair competition. Unless there are special disqualifying circumstances, guaranteeing candidates the opportunity to participate in preliminary selections is a principle of democracy and the spirit of the nomination rules that the People Power Party has itself advocated.

Of course, exceptions may exist in the nomination process. However, exceptions should be mechanisms to supplement the principle, not tools to negate it. If the principle of preliminary selection is nullified simply because an exception clause can be applied, nominations become closer to a notification of decision rather than a competition.

This is why the Mapo-eul district council nomination controversy, extending beyond a mere local conflict, is escalating into a matter of trust in the entire People Power Party's Seoul regional nomination system.