For the development of Pocheon and Gapyeong, a candidate who meets the needs of residents is needed.

 

One can only expect the competitiveness of a candidate with deep roots in the region where he or she has lived and communicates with local residents.

 

[Break News Northern Gyeonggi] As many as seven people were competing as preliminary candidates for the 22nd People Power Party National Assembly member in the Pocheon-Gapyeong constituency of Gyeonggi-do, but six candidates remained after Rep. Choi Chun-sik declared that he would not run.

 

Why on earth are so many People Power Party candidates running in Pocheon and Gapyeong? In the Democratic Party, former Pocheon Mayor Park Yoon-guk applied virtually alone and was nominated as a candidate early on.

 

Are Pocheon⦁Gapyeong the No. 1 political destination in Korea? If we face reality, Pocheon and Gapyeong are strong conservative regions that are advantageous to the People Power Party. Even people who had been active in politics in other regions rushed to Pocheon and Gapyeong, believing that they could win the National Assembly election if they received the People Power Party's nomination.

 

This phenomenon is not desirable at all for the People Power Party or the residents of Pocheon and Gapyeong. People who not only lack political experience but also do not have much affection for the region appear during election season and speak of their love for their hometown, so the People Power Party is bound to blur the discernment of Pocheon and Gapyeong residents.

 

The People Power Party announced on the 27th that it would hold primary elections for constituencies where the constituency demarcation work for the April 10 general election has not been completed after the demarcation plan is finalized.

 

In the Pocheon and Gapyeong constituencies, the People Power Party is expected to have about 2 to 3 candidates competing. Article 57-2 of the Public Official Election Act (Conducting Intra-Party Primary) Paragraph 2 states, “If a political party conducts an intra-party primary, a candidate for the primary who has not been elected as a candidate for the party cannot be registered as a candidate in the same constituency for the election.” Participants in the primary are prohibited from running as independent candidates.

 

There is even a waste of talent, with talented candidates who could have been active in other constituencies not even able to compete properly in the finals due to the results of the Pocheon and Gapyeong primaries. We must identify the real gems to prevent the unfortunate loss of talent. By doing so, we must solidify our faith in the conservatives of Pocheon and Gapyeong and lay the foundation for victory in the general election.

 

In the future, the People Power Party must prioritize the following four conditions as conditions for Pocheon and Gapyeong candidates.

 

First, he must be a candidate who can protect conservative, or liberal, democratic values. We must respond to the voters of Pocheon and Gapyeong, who have supported conservative beliefs for a long time, by providing a truly conservative candidate. Since it is easy to get elected by receiving the People Power Party's nomination, it is not a region that comes and goes, but it must be developed into a region that embodies the values of correct conservatism and establish itself as an exemplary example of conservatism throughout Korea.

 

Second, he must be a reliable candidate who can firmly support the People Power Party. The People Power Party faces as many challenges in the future as it has faced many ups and downs in the past. It is difficult to expect that a candidate who has a history of moving between different parties for personal gain will share the suffering with the party.

 

Third, the candidate must be closely rooted in the region and firmly rooted in the region. We must not be deceived by locust politicians who appear and disappear during election season as if they were doing business. We must nominate a candidate who is well-versed in local issues, who local residents want, who has deep roots in the region, and who has proven to be a worker who is no different from the local community. Only then will Pocheon and Gapyeong become regions that play a role in helping conservatives gain leadership in the current political situation.

 

Fourth, above all, he must be a candidate who can beat the Democratic Party. The election battle in Pocheon and Gapyeong is like a title defense battle for the People Power Party. We must produce a candidate who can win based on a close understanding of the direction of public opinion and the expected number of votes.

 

In the 21st general election, the People Power Party lost in Pocheon with 448 votes, but won in Gapyeong with 4,344 votes, so it was finally, barely able to win. We must reflect on the lessons of the last general election.

 

Strategic consideration is needed in future candidate primaries to secure the votes of Gapyeong and gain an advantageous position in the Pocheon and Gapyeong constituencies.

 

Among the current six candidates, we must boldly filter out those who only verbally call Pocheon and Gapyeong their hometown and select the good ones.

 

In that regard, among the preliminary candidates, preliminary candidate Kim Seong-gi, who has used Pocheon and Gapyeong as the stage of his activities for a long time, stands out. Having worked as an administrator in Pocheon and Gapyeong for 45 years, he is well-versed in local issues and has a very high level of intimacy with local residents.

 

Gapyeong's votes for preliminary candidate Kim Seong-ki are on average nearly twice as high as for other preliminary candidates. Although he is not first in the People Power Party candidate suitability survey, he is counted as receiving overwhelming support in Gapyeong, so he appears to be a candidate who will secure the votes needed for the People Power Party in Gapyeong.

 

Considering the efforts they made to protect the party and stabilize the situation in 2018, when the People Power Party's foundation was at risk in Pocheon and Gapyeong, the trustworthiness of the conservatives is also judged to be high.

 

This is why in this general election, we cannot help but look forward to the competitiveness of candidates with deep roots in the region who have lived together with local residents and communication with local residents.