Former Jecheon Mayor Lee Sang-cheon will run as the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Jecheon mayor in the June 3 local elections. The party announced it will hold runoff votes for the Cheongju and Chungju mayoral races after no candidate secured a majority.
The Democratic Party announced the results of its primaries for the Cheongju, Chungju, and Jecheon mayoral candidates in North Chungcheong Province on Thursday. In Jecheon, former Mayor Lee defeated former North Chungcheong Provincial Council member Jeon Won-pyo to secure the party's nomination.
Hwang Gyu-cheol, the incumbent county chief, was confirmed as the final candidate for Okcheon County chief. Lee Su-dong, a Yeongdong County council member, was selected for Yeongdong County chief, while incumbent Jo Byeong-ok was chosen for Eumseong County chief.
For Cheongju mayor, the top two vote-getters—former National Assembly member Lee Jang-seop and Cheongju City Council member Park Wan-hee—will compete in a runoff. Attorney Seo Min-seok, who had served as defense counsel for former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young in the North Korea remittance case, was eliminated in the Cheongju mayoral primary. In the Chungju mayoral runoff, former North Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency Commissioner Noh Seung-il will face off against former Democratic Party Chungju District Committee Chairman Maeng Jeong-seop.
The runoffs will be held from May 14 to 16. The primaries were conducted using a formula that weighted 30 percent for party member votes and 70 percent for public opinion polls using secure phone number voter panels.
Under party rules, the standard primary formula is 50 percent party members and 50 percent public polling. However, the party applied the 30-70 rule to North Chungcheong Province following allegations of party membership roll leaks.