Busan Six suspected of seizing control of organization through Jung Cheong-rae's re-election

He told Kim Du-young, "You can just handle it yourself. I'm older than the party, so do it yourself. What do you want me to do? What power do I have? Talk to the city party chairman and decide. The city party chairman decides all the nomination committee members, doesn't he?" He then explained that his remarks were leaked and used in an organizational context, taking a defensive stance.

He said, "The city party chairman decided all the proportional representation committee members, and I don't even know who those members are. I don't have their contact information. I met all of them for the first time at the nomination committee meeting." Former Secretary-General Kim emphasized his non-involvement, stating that he didn't even know who was included in the committee.

Former Secretary-General Kim Byung-soo relayed Kim Du-young's attempts: "He kept looking for a key person, so who could be the key person? Park Young-hwa isn't a high enough rank, is Jung Sang-rae? Then Lee Jong-ho's name came up, and I said I didn't know him well enough to include him." This is interpreted as an attempt by the clandestine 'Busan Six' to seize control of the nomination committee.

This led to concrete evidence of a proposal to convey the regional committee chairman's demands to the central party's supreme council level.

The individuals Senior Vice Chairman Kim Du-young tried to place on the proportional representation nomination committee were ultimately not included. Former Secretary-General Kim Byung-soo stated, "Not a single person Kim Du-young wanted was included. Chairman Byun Sung-hwan arranged everything. Chairman Byun Sung-hwan made the list and gave it to us. I don't know if he communicated with Senior Vice Chairman Kim Du-young to include Jung Sang-rae, but that's the situation." The nomination committee was formed under the leadership of City Party Chairman Byun Sung-hwan, and Jung Sang-rae, recommended by Kim Du-young, was indeed selected as a committee member.

The list was subsequently approved at the National Assembly Party Leader's Office on March 20th. This reveals a contradiction between former Secretary-General Kim Byung-soo's explanation and the actual date of the document's creation.

The revised criteria for screening local election candidates included a provision to grant it as a party affairs committee agenda item and delegate the amendment authority to the party leader. The host stated, "It's granted as a party affairs committee agenda item, and the amendment authority is constantly delegated to the party leader," raising suspicions about the concentration of nomination authority in the party leader. This could lead to criticism that it weakens democratic procedures within the party and grants excessive power to a specific individual.

This is interpreted as an intention to reorganize the internal power structure in his favor.

The host explained, "Kim Du-young first organized the policy on the Northern Sea Route, reported it to Mayor Jeon Jae-soo, and Mayor Jeon Jae-soo then reported it to the president, and it even became a presidential election pledge." During this process, Kim Du-young is analyzed to have attempted to build his political standing within the party by utilizing Mayor Jeon Jae-soo.

These actions are interpreted as part of a meticulous political scheme for proportional representation nominations.

Ultimately, Jung Cheong-rae's re-election appears to be part of an organized strategy by specific forces like the Busan Six to expand their influence within the party and intervene in future nomination processes.