Seoul: Official campaigning for the June 3 local elections and parliamentary by-elections began on Thursday, with both ruling and opposition parties launching full-scale efforts to win over voters. The 13-day campaign period will continue up to the eve of the elections, allowing candidates and their teams to give public speeches from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., distribute campaign materials, and display campaign banners.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this year's elections are drawing significant attention as 14 National Assembly seats are up for grabs in the parliamentary by-elections, 13 of which were previously held by the ruling Democratic Party (DP). Han Dong-hoon, the former chief of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), is running as an independent for his National Assembly seat in Busan's Buk-A constituency. He faces Ha Jung-woo of the DP, who served as a presidential secretary for artificial intelligence policy and future planning, and former PPP lawmaker Park Min-shik. Busan, a traditional conservative stronghold, has its Buk-A constituency as a key battleground, being the only district among the city's 18 constituencies won by the DP in the last parliamentary elections.
Other significant contests include the Pyeongtaek-B constituency race, where Cho Kuk, leader of the liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, confronts Kim Yong-nam of the DP, Yu Eui-dong of the PPP, former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn of the minor Freedom and Innovation Party, and Kim Jae-yeon of the minor progressive Jinbo Party. The mayoral election in Seoul is also under close scrutiny, as incumbent Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the PPP and the DP's Chong Won-o are in a tight race.
The upcoming elections are seen as the first major nationwide test for the Lee Jae Myung administration since it assumed office last June, following former President Yoon Suk Yeol's removal over a failed martial law attempt. The DP, which currently holds a majority in the National Assembly, aims to secure victories leveraging Lee's high approval ratings. Meanwhile, the PPP seeks to consolidate conservative support to rejuvenate the conservative bloc amid internal divisions resulting from Yoon's martial law bid.
A total of 7,829 candidates have registered for the elections, including 54 candidates vying for 16 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, and 585 candidates for 227 heads of lower-level administrative units. Early voting is scheduled for two days, starting next Friday.