With People Power Party (PPP) confirming incumbent Busan Mayor Park Heong-jun as its candidate on the 11th, the candidate matchups for five metropolitan mayoral races in the June 3 local elections are now complete. As projections favor the Democratic Party of Korea, the PPP—which has struggled to recruit candidates—plans to focus intensively on remaining nominations to shake up the race.
With roughly 50 days until the local elections, the Democratic Party is assessed to be ahead in both nomination speed and candidate competitiveness. The party moved early to secure strategic nominations of competitive candidates even in regions where PPP holds incumbent positions, including Incheon, Gangwon, and South Gyeongsang. The party has finalized candidates in 11 regions so far and expects to complete nominations in remaining areas including South Chungcheong and Daejeon shortly.
In contrast, PPP's nomination process has been slower than expected. The party's momentum was disrupted early on by disputes during primaries in Seoul, Daegu, and Gyeonggi, with only nine regions having completed nominations as of the 12th. The failure to finalize candidates in Seoul and Gyeonggi—considered the key battlegrounds that could determine the entire election outcome—poses a significant burden.
Traditionally, the Seoul metropolitan area and Chungcheong region are considered the most contested battlegrounds in local elections. However, even Daegu, a conservative stronghold, appears to be wavering this time. Analysis suggests that PPP's failure to resolve internal divisions stemming from factional conflicts, combined with declining nationwide approval ratings and a primary process in Daegu marred by cutoff protests, has considerably affected local sentiment. The race has become even more competitive after the Democratic Party successfully recruited former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum as its Daegu mayoral candidate following persistent courtship.
A similar trend is emerging in Busan. While Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Jae-su is raising his profile with his "maritime capital relocation" initiative, Mayor Park is showing signs of losing some public support in the aftermath of the failed World Expo bid, according to analysts.
Ultimately, the remaining variable is how competitive the candidates PPP can field in undecided regions. To overturn an overwhelmingly unfavorable landscape, voices are growing that the party needs to not merely finalize candidates but present figures capable of silencing internal discord and shaking up the race.
