The Democratic Party of Korea and the Progressive Party on Wednesday selected Kim Sang-wook of the Democratic Party as the unified candidate for Ulsan mayor in the June 3 local elections. Progressive Party candidate Kim Jong-hoon withdrew from the race.
"Candidate Kim was elected as a result of the primary," Kim Tae-sun, chair of the Democratic Party's Ulsan chapter, said at a joint press conference held in front of the Ulsan Election Commission that afternoon. "The vote tally will not be made public." In the Ulsan City Council unification primaries held alongside the mayoral race, Progressive Party candidates Cheon Byeong-tae, Lee Eun-ju and Kang Jin-hee won their respective contests, along with Democratic Party candidate Kang Jeong-deok.
Kim Jong-hoon accepted the primary result and immediately submitted his withdrawal letter to the Ulsan Election Commission. As a result, the word "withdrawn" will be marked next to Kim Jong-hoon's name on ballots used in early voting, which begins Thursday.
After the primary results were announced, Kim Sang-wook said, "I will engrave deep in my heart the wishes, dreams and aspirations of my Progressive Party comrades." He added, "The Democratic Party will join hands with broader embrace and deeper-hearted action, and though it will be difficult, we will surely create an Ulsan of citizen sovereignty and proper democratization." He also expressed gratitude to the Rebuilding Korea Party, after candidate Hwang Myeong-pil withdrew earlier with a declaration of support for Kim Sang-wook. "The Democratic Party, the Progressive Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party will unite more strongly and pool our strength before the great cause of restoring citizen sovereignty in Ulsan," he said.
Kim Jong-hoon said, "The process was complicated, but the conclusion was well organized into one." He added, "I hope to be even a small force that can create new change in Ulsan."
The Democratic Party and the Progressive Party had earlier planned to determine the unified candidate through opinion polls on the 23rd and 24th, but the process was once derailed. On the morning of the 24th, Kim Sang-wook declared a halt to the primary opinion poll, citing "suspicions of organized intervention by a specific force."
The Democratic Party then proposed holding the primary again with an anti-cross-voting clause inserted, and the Progressive Party accepted, leading to the primary being held again over the course of the day.
