Just 2 women in 25 district chief races exposes Seoul's political glass ceiling

Gangdong District chief Lee Soo-hee speaks during an interview with Hankook Ilbo at the Gangdong District Office in Seoul, Oct. 21, 2025. Korea Times photo by Min Kyung-seok

Eunpyeong District chief Kim Me-kyung speaks during an interview with Hankook Ilbo in this Aug. 13, 2020 photo. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seok

Seoul's district chief races remain heavily male-dominated ahead of the June 3 local elections, even as female candidates gain ground in neighboring Gyeonggi Province.

Among the 25 district chief races in the capital, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) have so far confirmed only two female candidates combined, both incumbent district heads seeking reelection.

The lack of new female contenders has renewed criticism that Seoul's political scene remains difficult for women to break into.

According to party nominations finalized so far, the DPK’s Kim Me-kyung, the incumbent chief of Eunpyeong District, and the PPP’s Lee Soo-hee, the incumbent leader of Gangdong District, are the only confirmed female candidates from the two major parties.

Kim is seeking a third consecutive term and could become Seoul’s first three-term female district head if reelected. Lee is also running for reelection after winning Gangdong in the 2022 local elections.

The number could rise to three if former Chuncheon MBC announcer Lee Yoo-won wins the PPP primary in Dongjak District, but even then women would account for only a tiny fraction of candidates in Seoul’s district mayor races.

The decline is particularly notable compared with previous elections.

During the 2018 local elections, 11 women ran in Seoul district mayor races, raising expectations for broader female participation in local politics. Three women were eventually elected district mayors that year.

Democratic Party of Korea’s Gyeonggi gubernatorial candidate Choo Mi-ae speaks during a meeting with local party committees at the Gyeonggi Provincial Council in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, April 29. Yonhap

People Power Party Gyeonggi gubernatorial candidate Yang Hyang-ja speaks during a rally ahead of the June 3 local elections at the party’s Gyeonggi headquarters in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps

The contrast with neighboring Gyeonggi Province has become especially striking this election cycle. In the governor’s race, DPK candidate Choo Mi-ae is facing PPP candidate Yang Hyang-ja, guaranteeing that the province will elect its first female governor. Female candidates from both major parties have also secured nominations in a number of mayoral and county chief races across the province, including in Bucheon, Icheon, Gwacheon, Ansan, Anseong and Yangpyeong.

Political observers note the latest numbers suggest that female representation in Seoul local politics has stalled rather than expanded. They point to nomination systems still dominated by political networks, organizational strength and name recognition, factors that tend to favor established male politicians.

The Korean Women’s Associations United also criticized the lack of female candidates in this year’s local elections.

“Women, who make up half of the electorate, representing half of local politics is a basic principle of democracy,” the organization said in a statement.

“Political parties must prove their commitment to expanding women’s political representation not through empty declarations but through their nomination lists.”

Lee Jun-han, a political science professor at Incheon National University, said the declining number of female candidates shows that Korean politics is failing to keep pace with broader calls for gender equality.

“In a political environment where winning elections is already difficult, the decline in the number of female candidates itself shows that our society is failing to keep up with gender-equal politics,” Lee said.

“Political parties need to make broader efforts to expand the pool of female candidates, while society as a whole must create conditions that allow them to gain voter support.”