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| Minister Yoo Jeong-bok | Rep. Nam Kyung-pil |
By Jun Ji-hye
Senior lawmakers and ministers are throwing their hats into the ring for the race to gain key metropolitan and gubernatorial posts in the June 4 local elections.
Competition is heating up after the leading opposition Democratic Party (DP) and independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo announced a decision to form a new coalition party.
The alliance of the opposition bloc is prompting more influential heavyweights from the governing Saenuri Party to announce their candidacies as a countermeasure.
Some opinion polls are already showing that the coalition party is quickly narrowing the gap between it and the ruling party.
Against this backdrop, the governing camp's five-term lawmaker Nam Kyung-pil and Minister of Security and Public Administration Yoo Jeong-bok on Wednesday announced their bids for Gyeonggi Province governor and Incheon mayor, respectively.
Yoo said that he offered to quit the ministerial post to run in the Incheon mayoral race and help the President Park Geun-hye government.
"I'm well aware of the fact that the results of the local elections are critical for the success of the Park administration and the future of the nation," said Yoo, who is also a Saenuri Party lawmaker.
For his part, Nam said, "I will create new politics with residents of Gyeonggi Province."
His comments were construed as holding former Gyeonggi educational superintendent Kim Sang-gon in check. Kim a day earlier announced his bid for the Gyeonggi gubernatorial election, hoping to run as the lone candidate of the opposition's coalition, whose main theme is also new politics.
"I will push for a way of creating a new structure in the nation's politics and economy by utilizing my previous experience. I contributed to reviving people's living conditions through education reforms," said Kim during his announcement.
Other big names of the governing party who announced their intentions to run include Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, chairman of the policy committee, and seven-term lawmaker Chung Mong-joon.
Kim made his bid for Ulsan mayor official on Wednesday, while Chung said on Sunday that he will be a contender in the Seoul mayoral election against the current Mayor Park Won-soon, a member of the DP.
Rep. Suh Byung-soo, former secretary general of the governing camp, already declared his candidacy for mayor of Busan, where he will be challenged by former Maritime Minister Oh Keo-don. Oh, who has been cited as a candidate of the opposition's coalition, has yet to make decision, so he remains an independent candidate.
In addition, second-term lawmaker Yoon Jin-sik of the governing camp is running for North Chungcheong Province governor.
A considerable number of sitting lawmakers running in the local polls are expected to increase the number of parliamentary seats which will be contested in the July by-elections. Also, watchers anticipate that Yoo's resignation as minister could lead to a Cabinet shake-up for the Park administration.
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