On May 14, political parties in South Korea officially kicked off their campaigns for the June 3 local elections and the National Assembly by-elections as they began registering candidates. The Democratic Party, which has formed a campaign committee for national normalization, and the People Power Party, which launched a committee to prevent the cancellation of prosecutions, are expected to engage in fierce competition. The Democratic Party aims to regain local power and secure its position in the by-elections, while the People Power Party hopes for strong performances in the Seoul and Busan mayoral races and its traditional stronghold in Yeongnam.
The National Election Commission is accepting candidate registrations from local election offices until 6 p.m. on May 15. Both the Democratic Party and the People Power Party have completed their candidate nominations for the local elections and by-elections, leading to a sequential registration process. In the by-elections, the Democratic Party has nominated candidates for all 14 districts, while the People Power Party has put forward candidates for 13 districts, excluding the difficult-to-fill positions in Gunsan, Gimje, and Buan. Among the districts referred to as mini-general elections, 13 were previously held by the Democratic Party, except for Daegu's Dalseong County.
On this day, among the Democratic Party's candidates for local leadership positions were Jung Won-oh (Seoul), Choo Mi-ae (Gyeonggi), Park Chan-dae (Incheon), Kim Boo-kyum (Daegu), Jeon Jae-soo (Busan), Kim Kyung-soo (Gyeongnam), Min Hyung-bae (Jeonnam-Gwangju), Lee Won-taek (Jeonbuk), Park Soo-hyun (Chungnam), and Heo Tae-jeong (Daejeon).
The People Power Party's candidates for local leadership positions included Oh Se-hoon (Seoul), Yang Hyang-ja (Gyeonggi), Yoo Jeong-bok (Incheon), Choo Kyung-ho (Daegu), Park Hyung-jun (Busan), Park Wan-soo (Gyeongnam), Lee Jeong-hyun (Jeonnam-Gwangju), Kim Tae-heum (Chungnam), Lee Jang-woo (Daejeon), and Choi Min-ho (Sejong).
Additionally, Jeong Yi-han, the candidate for Gyeonggi governor from the Reform Party, has completed his registration, while Jo Eung-cheon, the candidate for Gyeonggi governor, is expected to submit his application through a representative at 5 p.m. on the same day. Kwon Young-guk, the candidate for Seoul Mayor from the Justice Party, also proceeded with the registration process.
Moreover, Kim Kwan-young, who was expelled from the Democratic Party due to allegations of distributing money envelopes, has registered as an independent candidate. This sets the stage for a direct confrontation with Lee Won-taek, who has faced allegations of covering meal expenses.
Among the Democratic Party's candidates for the by-elections were Song Young-gil (Incheon Yeonsu-gap), Ha Jung-woo (Busan Buk-gu-gap), Kim Yong-nam (Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek-eul), and Kim Nam-jun (Incheon Gyeyang-eul). The People Power Party has also completed registrations for Park Jong-jin (Incheon Yeonsu-gap), Park Min-sik (Busan Buk-gu-gap), Lee Jin-sook (Daegu Dalseong-gun), and Yoo Ui-dong (Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek-eul).
In Pyeongtaek-eul, Jo Guk, the leader of the Jo Guk Innovation Party, and Kim Jae-yeon, the chairperson of the Progressive Party, have also completed their candidate registration. Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, running as an independent candidate in Busan Buk-gu-gap, is scheduled to register on May 15.
Meanwhile, even after completing candidate registration, only preliminary campaign activities such as distributing business cards and wearing uniforms are allowed until May 20. Official campaigning will take place from May 21 to June 2, during which candidates can hold rallies and distribute campaign materials. Early voting is set to occur over two days starting May 29.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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