{"id":2204050,"date":"2024-03-01T17:31:18","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T08:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2204050"},"modified":"2024-03-04T16:22:18","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T07:22:18","slug":"election-watch-south-korean-opposition-in-turmoil-over-how-it-selects-lawmakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/03\/election-watch-south-korean-opposition-in-turmoil-over-how-it-selects-lawmakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Election watch: South Korean opposition in turmoil over how it selects lawmakers"},"content":{"rendered":"
Editor\u2019s note: Korea Pro\u2019s regular \u2018Election Watch\u2019 series covers key political developments in South Korea leading to the April 10 General Elections.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n An exodus of high-profile lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) mere weeks before South Korea\u2019s general elections has laid bare deep-seated issues in the party\u2019s candidate selection process.<\/span><\/p>\n Criticisms have centered on the party leadership\u2019s subjective system for scoring lawmakers, which influences which candidate runs on the party\u2019s ticket for a given seat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Detractors say the system disproportionately favors those lawmakers deemed loyal to the party\u2019s scandal-plagued leader, Lee Jae-myung, who remains under investigation for multiple allegations of corruption.<\/span><\/p>\n Seol Hoon, a lawmaker who recently exited the party, <\/span>accused<\/span><\/a> Lee of focusing only on preserving his leadership over the party to maintain parliamentary immunity to avoid going to prison.<\/span><\/p>\n This situation has led to a growing perception among lawmakers and citizens alike that the DP\u2019s candidate selection process is more reflective of party leaders\u2019 personal preferences than of candidates\u2019 legislative capabilities \u2014 accusations that the ruling People Power Party (PPP) has largely avoided.<\/span><\/p>\n Such perceptions risk depressing voter participation in upcoming party primaries and the general election by undermining trust in the political system, threatening to compromise the integrity of the 22nd National Assembly\u2019s formation.<\/span><\/p>\n ARBITRARY AND OPAQUE<\/b><\/p>\n The selection system for election candidates has been a longstanding point of contention in South Korea, resisting structural changes despite numerous efforts at parliamentary reform.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In essence, the system empowers the leadership of both major parties to exert influence over their colleagues.<\/span><\/p>\n Prior to an election, each party assigns scores to its lawmakers according to its own criteria. A party then uses these scores to weigh the vote total that lawmakers receive in the party primaries for district candidate selection.<\/span><\/p>\n This means that a lawmaker with a lower score is disadvantaged when counting votes, receiving a penalty that functionally lowers their vote total.<\/span><\/p>\n The PPP employs a blend of absolute and relative grading to determine its candidates. For incumbent lawmakers, the <\/span>formula<\/span><\/a> stipulates that a candidate\u2019s score is 40% based on public opinion polls of district voter preference, 20% on an evaluation of party work and legislative achievements, 15% on morality, 15% on party contributions and 10% on personal interviews.<\/span><\/p>\n For individuals not currently holding office, the party adjusts the criteria slightly, eliminating legislative achievements and giving 35% weight to \u201ccontribution to the party and society.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This structure allows for a portion of the scoring to be subjective, based on contributions and interviews. However, candidates can bypass the primary elections altogether if they significantly outperform their PPP rivals in opinion polls.<\/span><\/p>\n An additional \u201cstrategic selection\u201d layer allows the election committee leader to nominate candidates directly in districts deemed unlikely to be won or where the party has faced repeated losses, bypassing the usual scoring criteria.<\/span><\/p>\n