The Democratic Party of Korea decided on the 2nd to advance all candidates who applied for four key positions in the June 3 local elections—Seoul Mayor, Gyeonggi Governor, Ulsan Mayor, and the inaugural Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Mayor—to their respective primaries. The Seoul mayoral race is expected to be a five-way contest.
Kim Yi-su, chairman of the party's Central Nomination Management Committee, announced the nomination guidelines at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. Six candidates registered for the Seoul mayoral primary: lawmakers Kim Young-bae, Park Joo-min, Park Hong-keun, and Jeon Hyun-hee, along with Seongdong District Mayor Jeong Won-oh and former Military Human Rights Center Executive Director Kim Hyung-nam. However, Rep. Park Hong-keun's camp announced he would not participate in the primary after being nominated as the first Planning and Budget Minister candidate under the Lee Jae-myung administration.
The Gyeonggi gubernatorial primary will feature incumbent Governor Kim Dong-yeon and lawmakers Kwon Chil-seung, Choo Mi-ae, and Han Jun-ho, as well as former lawmaker Yang Ki-dae. Both Seoul and Gyeonggi regions will hold preliminary primaries to narrow the final candidates to three.
Following the National Assembly's passage of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Administrative Integration Special Act the previous day, the first-ever Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City mayoral primary will see competition among Kang Ki-jung, Kim Young-rok, Min Hyung-bae, Shin Jung-hoon, Lee Gae-ho, Lee Byung-hoon, Jung Jun-ho, and Joo Cheol-hyun.