High-Profile By-Elections Ahead of June 3 Local Vote Seen as ‘Mini General Election’

With parties entering the final stretch of nominations ahead of the June 3 local elections, attention is intensifying on the by-elections and re-elections, which some observers say have grown into a “mini general election” as heavyweight figures enter the race.
 
Political circles said May 3 that 14 constituencies have been confirmed for the contests. Re-elections will be held in two districts: Gyeonggi Province’s Pyeongtaek-eul and North Jeolla Province’s Gunsan-Gimje-Buan-gap. By-elections will be held in 12 districts: Busan Buk-gap, Daegu Dalseong, Incheon Yeonsu-gap, Incheon Gyeyang-eul, Gwangju Gwangsan-eul, Ulsan Nam-gap, Gyeonggi Ansan-gap, Gyeonggi Hanam-gap, South Chungcheong Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Asan-eul, North Jeolla Gunsan-Gimje-Buan-eul, and Jeju Seogwipo.
 
Several prominent politicians are seeking seats, adding to the stakes. They include Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party, in Busan Buk-gap; Song Young-gil, former leader of the Democratic Party, in Incheon Yeonsu-gap; Lee Kwang-jae, former Gangwon governor, in Gyeonggi Hanam-gap; Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, in Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek-eul; and Lee Jin-sook, former chair of the Korea Communications Commission, in Daegu Dalseong. If Song wins, he would become a six-term lawmaker.
 
Pyeongtaek-eul, where Cho is running, has emerged as the most closely watched battleground. The field is expected to be a five-way race including Kim Yong-nam of the Democratic Party, Yoo Eui-dong of the People Power Party, Kim Jae-yeon of the Progressive Party and Hwang Kyo-ahn of the Liberty and Solidarity Party. Cho wrote on social media that he would “trust only the public sentiment” and “fight with everything” to win “by three votes.” Some observers also warned that if Cho fails to return to the National Assembly, the party would face an unavoidable blow.
 
Busan Buk-gap, where Han is running, is also drawing heavy attention. Han is campaigning as an independent, while the Democratic Party has countered with a strategic nomination of Ha Jung-woo, former senior presidential secretary for AI and future planning. Ha chose Gupo Market for his first campaign stop, saying it was right to meet residents of his hometown first and greet them as “the son of Buk-gu has returned.” The People Power Party is set to hold a primary between former Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-sik and former KBS reporter Lee Young-pung.
 
With multi-candidate races taking shape in key districts, whether camps move toward candidate unification is expected to influence outcomes. In Busan Buk-gap, the race could shift to a three-way or a two-way contest depending on whether Han and the People Power Party nominee unify. In Pyeongtaek-eul, if one side consolidates behind a single candidate, the other side risks a split vote.
 
Overall, the outlook remains unclear. Cho Won-bin, president of the Korean Association of Party Studies, told Ajunews by phone that it is “too early to pin down the direction of the race,” adding that depending on how competitive Cho and Han prove to be, discussions on unification could accelerate based on opinion polls.

In other districts, analysts said party alignment may matter more than individual candidates. Cho said the opposition is struggling in some areas to field sufficiently competitive contenders, and that under the single-member district system, races are likely to converge around the two major parties.



* This article has been translated by AI.

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