The Democratic Party of Korea's candidate lineup for the June 3 local elections is taking shape. Candidates have been finalized through uncontested nominations in Incheon, Gangwon, Gyeongnam and Gyeongbuk, while runoff candidates have been confirmed in Jeonnam, Sejong and Chungnam as the process enters its final stage.
The party announced on the 6th that no candidate secured a majority in the Chungnam gubernatorial primary, selecting Park Soo-hyun and Yang Seung-jo as runoff candidates. In accordance with party rules, the rankings and vote shares of each candidate were not disclosed. The runoff will be held from the 13th to the 15th. Park, a two-term lawmaker, previously served as presidential spokesperson and the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson. Yang, a four-term former lawmaker, served as Chungnam governor.
The Sejong mayoral runoff candidates were also narrowed down to Lee Chun-hee and Jo Sang-ho. Ko Jun-il, Hong Sun-sik and Kim Soo-hyun, who competed in the primary, were eliminated. Lee is a former two-term Sejong mayor, while Jo previously served as Sejong City's deputy mayor for economic affairs.
The party confirmed the runoff lineup for the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special Metropolitan City the previous day, with Min Hyung-bae and Kim Young-rok advancing. The runoff is scheduled for the 12th to the 14th. Min, a two-term lawmaker, previously served as two-term head of Gwangju's Gwangsan District, while Kim, a two-term former Jeonnam governor, served as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
Unlike the People Power Party, which has been embroiled in internal strife from the nomination stage, the Democratic Party's nomination process is being assessed as proceeding smoothly. "We are preparing for the election based on thorough principles in line with the party's policy to minimize unnecessary disputes," a Democratic Party official said. "This stands in contrast to the People Power Party, which is consumed by internal fighting."
The Democratic Party recently finalized uncontested nominations for Incheon, Gangwon, Ulsan, Gyeongnam and Gyeongbuk as well. Woo Sang-ho was nominated for Gangwon governor, Park Chan-dae for Incheon mayor, Kim Kyung-soo for Gyeongnam governor and Oh Jung-gi for Gyeongbuk governor. Kim Sang-wook was confirmed as the Ulsan mayoral candidate after going through a competitive primary.
Meanwhile, the hotly contested Seoul mayoral primary within the Democratic Party will hold voting from the 7th to the 9th to finalize its candidate. If no candidate secures a majority, a runoff vote will be held from the 17th to the 19th. The camp of candidate Jeong Won-o has expressed confidence, saying "there will be no runoff," while candidate Park Joo-min has taken the position that "we must go to a runoff."