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| The National Assembly / Courtesy of assembly.go.kr |
By Ko Dong-hwan
More than 900 candidates have registered for next month's parliamentary elections, the nation's election watchdog said.
A total of 944 candidates ― 844 men and 100 women – are set to compete for the 253 seats on Apr. 13, the National Election Commission said Friday.
The remaining 47 seats will be allocated to political parties according to the number of votes they receive overall through proportional representation.
A total of 25 political parties will participate in the elections, while three major parties ― the ruling Saenuri Party, the main opposition Minjoo Party and the splinter People's Party ― currently hold most of the seats in the National Assembly.
Ten candidates will compete for the Jongno district seat in central Seoul, making it the most heated race in the elections. Home to Cheong Wa Dae, the district is a crucial electoral district, as it carries political significance for candidates and their political parties. A recent poll showed that Oh Se-hoon of the ruling Saenuri Party is the frontrunner in the district. He is set to face off against Chung Sye-kyun of the Minjoo Party, who currently represents the district in the National Assembly.
Lee Koon-hyon, a candidate of the ruling party, was elected even before the elections began, as he is the only candidate running in the nation's southeastern port city of Tongyeong.
In Seoul, nine candidates ― some of whom are from minor parties and some running as independents ― have paid no taxes for the past five years.
Eighty-two out of the 205 candidates in Seoul have criminal records, including drunk driving, theft and violation of the National Security Law. Kim Cheol-kun of the People's Party and independent candidate Yoo Jae-woon each have criminal records in five separate cases, making them the candidates with the lengthiest criminal records.
The richest candidate is Kim Byoung-gwan of the Minjoo Party. Kim's wealth is estimated at 263 billion won ($224 million). He is the largest shareholder of the nation's online game developer Webzen.
