June 3 elections take shape: DPK’s presidential aides vs. PPP's incumbents

With less than 30 days remaining until the June 3 local elections, the two main parties have finalized their candidate lineups. While the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has fielded many fresh faces, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is largely relying on incumbent mayors and governors.

Out of 17 metropolitan cities and provinces in the 2022 elections, the then-ruling PPP won a landslide victory, securing 12 regions, including major cities like Seoul, Busan and Incheon.

However, since President Lee Jae Myung took power last year after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached for leading an insurrection linked to his martial law declaration, the approval ratings of Yoon's party, the PPP, have continued to drop, at one point plummeting to 15 percent in a poll.

Amid the low support ratings, the conservative party is struggling to find promising candidates, ultimately fielding 11 incumbent heads of cities and provinces. In contrast, many of the DPK's candidates are figures close to the president, whose approval rating has stood at around 60 percent in recent months.

This time, the number of major cities and provinces is 16, down from 17, as Gwangju and South Jeolla Province will merge in July. One mayor will be selected for the new integrated municipality.

Lee’s picks vs. incumbent chiefs in greater Seoul area

Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan areas, including Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, appear to have the biggest battlegrounds in the upcoming local elections. Several polls show the DPK candidates are leading, but the outcome is not certain, as the PPP has fielded incumbent chiefs in Seoul and Incheon and a high-profile candidate in Gyeonggi Province.

In Seoul, DPK candidate Chong Won-o, a former three-term head of Seoul’s Seongdong District endorsed by the president, will face PPP candidate Oh Se-hoon, the incumbent Seoul mayor who is seeking a record fifth term.

In Incheon, the DPK fielded Park Chan-dae, who worked closely with Lee as floor leader when the president was the DPK leader. Park will compete with PPP candidate Yoo Jeong-bok, the incumbent Incheon mayor who is seeking a third term.

In Gyeonggi Province, the DPK's Choo Mi-ae will compete against the PPP's Yang Hyang-ja, who is known for her rise from humble beginnings to become Samsung Electronics’ first female executive without a university degree. Choo, meanwhile, is a veteran politician, having completed six terms as a lawmaker, as well as being a former DPK chair and former justice minister under the Moon Jae-in administration. It is the only race between two female candidates.

The Gangwon gubernatorial race features Woo Sang-ho, one of the president's close aides who served as the Lee administration’s first senior presidential secretary for political affairs, against Kim Jin-tae, the incumbent governor who in 2022 took the helm of the region that had been led by liberals for 12 years.

Daegu, Gyeongsang provinces for conservatives

North and South Gyeongsang provinces have been considered difficult for liberal politicians to break into, as the region has long been considered conservative strongholds. But DPK candidates are seeking to win control, backed by the ruling party’s high polling numbers.

From the PPP, incumbents including North Gyeongsang Gov. Lee Cheol-woo, South Gyeongsang Gov. Park Wan-su and Ulsan Mayor Kim Du-gyeom are running to defend their posts. For Daegu, the party fielded Choo Kyung-ho, a three-term lawmaker and former finance minister during the Yoon administration.

The DPK has nominated candidates with strong regional profiles, including Oh Joong-gi, who has worked for more than a decade in the party as a campaigner to gain support in North Gyeongsang Province; Kim Kyoung-soo, who served as the South Gyeongsang Province governor from 2018 to 2021; and Kim Sang-wook, a former PPP lawmaker representing Ulsan Nam A, who switched to the DPK after Yoon's martial law declaration and is now running for Ulsan mayor against the PPP candidate. For Daegu, the DPK picked Kim Boo-kyum, who won a parliamentary seat for a conservative Daegu district from 2016 to 2020 despite being from the liberal party.

Chungcheong region as 'casting vote'

In the Chungcheong region, often seen as the “casting vote,” PPP incumbents Kim Tae-heum, Kim Young-hwan and Lee Jang-woo will fight to defend their posts for South Chungcheong Province, North Chungcheong Province and Daejeon, respectively. From the DPK, meanwhile, Park Soo-hyun, a former senior presidential secretary for public communication, will run for South Chungcheong Province governor, while Shin Yong-han, former vice chair of the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development, will compete for North Chungcheong Province, and former Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jeong will try to take back his old job.

In Sejong, DPK candidate Cho Sang-ho, a former economic vice mayor of the city and former political aide to Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, will run against incumbent PPP candidate Choi Min-ho.

Jeolla provinces and Jeju for liberals

Gwangju, the Jeolla provinces and Jeju are considered liberal strongholds, where conservatives are widely expected to struggle. However, the PPP’s Lee Jung-hyun, a former three-term lawmaker, is running in an effort to win over liberal voters.

On Jeju Island, where native-born candidates have traditionally had an advantage, Moon Sung-yu, a Jeju-born budget expert and former bureaucrat representing the PPP, will compete against three-term incumbent Wi Seong-gon.