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In the June 3 local elections, four former and current heads of basic-level local governments in South Gyeongsang Province who were either excluded from the nomination process or left their party amid disputes pulled off upsets by winning their races.
The four who won as independents are Jo Gyu-il, mayor-elect of Jinju; Oh Tae-wan, county governor-elect of Uiryeong; Kim Yun-cheol, county governor-elect of Hapcheon; and Lee Hong-gi, county governor-elect of Geochang. All defeated People Power Party candidates in traditionally conservative strongholds.
Jo is Jinju's first three-term mayor and won as an independent. Despite his incumbency advantage, Jo ran as an independent after being excluded from the People Power Party nomination. He won a three-way race against Han Kyung-ho of the People Power Party and Kal Sang-don of the Democratic Party. His victory is attributed to the administrative achievements he demonstrated during his two previous terms.
In the Uiryeong county governor race, Oh Tae-wan, who left the People Power Party, defeated both the Democratic Party and People Power Party candidates to win a third term. Oh ran as an independent following controversy that erupted during the nomination process, but recorded a vote share of over 47%, leaving his rivals behind. "The next four years are a crucial golden time that will determine Uiryeong's next 100 years," Oh said. "I will push for the extension of the North-South Axis 6 Expressway and the construction of the Uiryeong IC, and revive the local economy to create good jobs and make Uiryeong a place young people seek out."
Kim left the party in protest of the People Power Party's primary process and ran as an independent. After winning a head-to-head contest against Ryu Sun-cheol of the People Power Party, he said it was "the residents' choice in response to an unreasonable primary process."
The Geochang county governor race epitomized the People Power Party's nomination turmoil. The process suffered upheaval as "suspicions of illegal leaks of the party member roster" emerged during the primary, and the court granted an injunction filed by eliminated candidates to suspend the primary's validity. As a result, the central party's nomination management committee decided not to field a candidate, and former county governor Lee Hong-gi, running as an independent, reclaimed the helm of county government, fending off the challenges of incumbent county governor Koo In-mo, fellow independent Kim Il-su, and Choi Chang-yeol of the Democratic Party.
Political observers see these results as an expression at the ballot box of accumulated discontent and friction within the People Power Party's nomination process. Indeed, disputes over nomination exclusions and primary fairness continued across South Gyeongsang Province, followed by a string of party departures and independent candidacies.
As a result, the People Power Party secured only 10 of 18 basic-level local government head posts, or about 55%. Looking at the party's electoral record since 2010, the People Power Party producing local government heads in only 10 of South Gyeongsang's cities and counties matches the 2018 result, which was assessed as a crushing defeat for the party.
In particular, analysts say the nomination friction that continued until the final stretch of the campaign weighed considerably on the South Gyeongsang governor race as well. Some core People Power Party supporters defected or backed independent candidates, creating cracks in conservative camp cohesion.
"Even if the People Power Party won 10 basic-level local governments, it is a hollow victory," said Jo Jae-wook, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Kyungnam University. "Nominations that did not heed local voices created friction, and an arrogant attitude resulted in these outcomes."
