The ruling and opposition parties officially kicked off their election campaigns on May 14, as candidates registered for the June 3 local elections and National Assembly by-elections. The Democratic Party of Korea, which has formed a campaign committee for national normalization, and the People Power Party, which launched a campaign to prevent the cancellation of indictments, are expected to engage in fierce competition. The Democratic Party aims to reclaim local power and secure its positions in the by-elections, while the People Power Party hopes to perform well in the metropolitan areas of Seoul and Busan, as well as in its stronghold of Yeongnam.
The National Election Commission is accepting candidate registrations at local election offices from May 14 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 staggered 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 areas of Gunsan, Gimje, and Buan. Among the districts considered a mini-general election, 13 are currently held by the Democratic Party, with the exception of Daegu Dalseong.
On this day, the Democratic Party's candidates for metropolitan mayor included Jeong Won-o (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 metropolitan mayor include 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 Busan Mayor from the Reform Party, has completed his registration, and 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 Justice Party's candidate for Seoul Mayor, also proceeded with the registration process.
Furthermore, Kim Kwan-young, who was expelled from the Democratic Party due to allegations of distributing money envelopes, has registered as an independent candidate. He is set to face off against Lee Won-taek, who has been implicated in allegations of covering meal expenses.
Among the Democratic Party's candidates for the by-elections are 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's candidates 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) have also completed their registrations.
In Pyeongtaek-eul, Jo Guk, the leader of the Jo Guk Innovation Party, and Kim Jae-yeon, the permanent representative of the Progressive Party, have finalized their candidate registrations. Han Dong-hoon, a former leader of the People Power Party running as an independent 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 conduct street rallies and distribute campaign materials. Early voting is scheduled for May 29 and will last for two days.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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