Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek-eul has emerged as a key battleground in the capital region for the National Assembly by-elections to be held alongside the June 3 local elections. This comes after Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, officially declared his candidacy for the district after careful deliberation. Political calculations surrounding the election have become increasingly complex as heavyweight figures from both ruling and opposition camps have announced their candidacies not only in Pyeongtaek-eul but also in other capital region constituencies including Incheon Gyeyang-eul, Gyeonggi Ansan-gap, and Gyeonggi Hanam-gap.
Cho held a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on Wednesday and officially announced his candidacy for the Pyeongtaek-eul by-election, stating, "I am taking another step from the edge of a cliff to achieve 'zero People Power Party' and 'zero corruption.'" He emphasized, "Pyeongtaek-eul is a district where the People Power Party won consecutively in the 19th, 20th, and 21st general elections, making it the most challenging of all challenging districts for the democratic reform camp. Only I can defeat all far-right insurrectionist political forces and bring a decisive victory for the democratic reform camp."
Pyeongtaek-eul is holding a by-election after former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Byung-jin received a conviction that invalidated his election for violating the Public Official Election Act. Cho demanded that the Democratic Party "should not nominate candidates for constituencies where it bears responsibility for causing the by-election," but the Democratic Party has maintained its position of nominating candidates in all by-election districts, showing lukewarm response to electoral cooperation such as candidate unification. In this district, Seo Jae-yeol, director of Sky Academy, has registered as a Democratic Party preliminary candidate, while speculation continues about a possible candidacy by Kim Yong, former vice director of the Democratic Research Institute and a close aide to President Lee Jae-myung.
A multi-candidate competitive structure has formed as the People Power Party and Progressive Party also target Pyeongtaek-eul. From the People Power Party, former lawmakers Yoo Eui-dong and Lee Jae-young, Gyeonggi Provincial Party Vice Chairman Lee Byung-bae, and former Pyeongtaek City Council Speaker Kang Jeong-gu have declared their candidacies. Progressive Party Standing Representative Kim Jae-yeon and former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn from the Freedom and Innovation Party have also announced their bids. Resistance from the Progressive Party, which belongs to the pan-opposition bloc, remains a variable. Standing Representative Kim called for withdrawal, describing it as "a candidacy without cause or justification." If the pan-opposition camp fails to achieve unification and each party chooses to complete the race independently, fragmentation of the support base is inevitable.
The landscape is also shifting in other capital region constituencies. Former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil and Kim Nam-joon, former Blue House spokesperson and confidant of President Lee, are maintaining their intent to run in Incheon Gyeyang-eul. However, there is speculation that Song may run in Hanam-gap following coordination by the party leadership. Mentioned as People Power Party candidate prospects are former lawmaker Lee Yong, Hanam-eul constituency committee chairman Lee Chang-geun, and attorney Kim Ki-yoon. In Ansan-gap, a Democratic Party stronghold, Democratic Party spokesperson Kim Nam-kook from the "Group of Seven," the original pro-Lee Jae-myung faction, and former lawmaker Jeon Hae-cheol from the pro-Moon Jae-in faction have begun warming up. Speculation about Kim Yong's candidacy continues to circulate as well.
