513 uncontested candidates selected ahead of June 3 local elections

Officials at the National Election Commission's Daegu office check supplies for polling stations, Thursday, ahead of the June 3 local elections. Yonhap

A total of 513 candidates, including three local government heads, have been selected without a vote as they ran unopposed ahead of the June 3 local elections, the election watchdog said Saturday.

For the upcoming elections, 307 electoral districts will not hold a primary vote due to uncontested races or insufficient candidates, according to the National Election Commission.

The three local government chiefs selected without a vote are Kim I-gang, head of the southwestern city of Gwangju's Seo ward, Kim Byung-nae, chief of Gwangju's Nam ward, and Lim Byeong-taek, mayor of Siheung, just south of Seoul.

All three candidates are members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).

Gwangju is widely considered as a DPK stronghold. In the case of Siheung, the main opposition People Power Party failed to field a candidate amid a lack of prospective nominees.

The other 510 candidates are local council members.

Meanwhile, a total of 7,829 candidates have registered for the upcoming elections after two days of registrations through Friday, according to the election watchdog.

Up for grabs in the June elections are mayor and governor seats in 16 metropolitan cities and provinces, along with superintendents of education, chiefs of smaller administrative units, and 14 vacant National Assembly seats.