Choo Mi-ae, a six-term lawmaker and former justice minister, was selected as the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Gyeonggi governor in the June 3 local elections on Wednesday.
Challengers Han Jun-ho and Kim Dong-yeon mounted last-minute all-out campaigns, but Choo won a majority of votes in the main primary, eliminating the need for a runoff. The Democratic Party expressed strong confidence in retaining the Gyeonggi governorship through Choo, as the province is widely considered a stronghold where winning the party primary is tantamount to winning the general election.
Soh Byung-hoon, chair of the party's central election management committee, announced the primary results at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. "The top vote-getter won a majority, so the final candidate has been confirmed based on the main primary results without a runoff," Soh said. The main primary, conducted from Saturday through Wednesday, combined 50% party member votes and 50% public opinion polls. Under party rules, individual candidate rankings and vote shares were not disclosed.
Choo had been the frontrunner from the start. Han and Kim's strategy was to prevent Choo from securing a majority and force a runoff. Unlike the preliminary primary, which was based entirely on party member votes, the runoff would have included general public polling at 50%, a format both challengers believed would favor them over Choo, who had primarily appealed to the party base. However, neither candidate was able to overcome Choo's name recognition built on her hawkish image as former justice minister and chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
On Wednesday, Han repeatedly emphasized his position as "the overwhelming second-place candidate" and invoked "myeongsim," meaning the will of the people. "The momentum is shifting and our energy is clearly rising," Han said. "Just give me three more votes."
Kim highlighted his administrative expertise as a former deputy prime minister for economic affairs. "A proven economic leader will share the burden of President Lee Jae-myung, who is fighting hard against the economic crisis," Kim said. "Political leaders should serve in Yeouido, and economic leaders should serve in Gyeonggi Province."
After the primary results were announced, Choo wrote on Facebook, "I will prepare well for the remaining period and repay you with an overwhelming victory on June 3." She added, "Together with Democratic Party members, I will build an innovative future for Gyeonggi Province."
The party leadership under floor leader Chung Chung-rae plans to hold on-site Supreme Council meetings in the Seoul metropolitan area every Monday to support Choo and other metropolitan area candidates. The leadership held an on-site Supreme Council meeting in Gyeonggi the previous day to appeal to local voters. The plan is to tour non-metropolitan areas on Wednesdays and Fridays, simultaneously targeting both the capital region and other provinces.
Choo, originally from Daegu, is the party's most senior lawmaker with six terms. She served as a judge before entering politics in 1995 at the invitation of former President Kim Dae-jung, then leader of the National Congress for New Politics. She faced a backlash in the 2004 general election after voting in favor of the impeachment of then-President Roh Moo-hyun, but returned to the National Assembly in the 2008 election. In 2016, she was elected party leader at the Democratic Party convention and spearheaded the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye over the "state affairs manipulation" scandal. She won the Hanam-gap constituency in Gyeonggi in the 2024 general election and most recently served as Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair, leading the party's key legislative agenda including prosecution and judicial reform.