Withdrawal Domino... Intensified Local Constituency Rivalry and Tactical Maneuvering

Four Ministers from the Democratic Party Announce They Will Not Run
Democratic Party's 'Gyeonggi Goyang City' and 'Senior Lawmaker Districts' Are Major Variables
Among 9 Korean Party Lawmakers Who Announced They Will Not Run, 6 Are from 'Busan·Gyeongnam'

On the 3rd, at the National Assembly, Yoo Eun-hye, Minister of Education and a current minister from the Democratic Party of Korea, Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, and Kim Hyun-mi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, are entering the conference room to announce their decision not to run in the 21st general election. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Wondara and Jeon Jinyoung] The competition over the constituencies has intensified due to the successive announcements of non-candidacy by ruling and opposition party lawmakers. As of the 3rd, 12 lawmakers from the Democratic Party and 9 from the Liberty Korea Party have officially declared they will not run or are expected not to run.

On the morning of the same day, the Democratic Party held a press conference for incumbent ministers' non-candidacy, officially confirming that Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups (4-term), Jin Young, Minister of the Interior and Safety (4-term), Kim Hyun-mi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (3-term), and Yoo Eun-hye, Minister of Education and Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs (2-term), will not run. The region with the biggest variable due to these ministers' non-candidacy declarations is Goyang City in Gyeonggi Province. In the last general election, all four constituencies in Goyang (Gap, Eul, Byeong, Jeong) were won by candidates from the Democratic Party and the Justice Party. Goyang Jeong attracted attention as a 'real estate match' between Minister Kim and Representative Kim Hyun-ah. Goyang Byeong also became vacant following Minister Yoo's non-candidacy announcement. Former Gyeonggi Provincial Council member Lee Sang-seong and Lee Dong-hwan, head of the Liberty Korea Party's local party committee, have already registered as candidates in this constituency.

In Jongno District, where Prime Minister nominee Chung Sye-kyun is running, it is widely expected that Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon and Liberty Korea Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn will face off. This is analyzed as a 'preliminary presidential election' between the top two presidential candidates and a showdown between former and current prime ministers.

The constituencies of senior Democratic Party lawmakers such as Lee Hae-chan (7-term, Sejong), Chung Sye-kyun (6-term, Seoul Jongno), Won Hye-young (5-term, Bucheon Ojeong, Gyeonggi), Jin Young (4-term, Yongsan, Seoul), and Park Young-sun (3-term, Guro District Eul) are also seeing intense competition.

As of the 31st, Sejong City has 11 registered preliminary candidates, showing the highest competition rate among the nation's 253 constituencies. The declaration of non-candidacy by Won Hye-young, who has served five consecutive terms, is expected to lead to fierce competition in Bucheon Ojeong, Gyeonggi Province. So far, former mayor Kim Man-soo, who served as spokesperson for the Roh Moo-hyun administration's Blue House, and Ahn Byung-do, head of the Liberty Korea Party's local party committee, have registered as preliminary candidates.

In Yongsan District, Seoul, the constituency of Minister Jin, who confirmed non-candidacy early, seven preliminary candidates have registered, including former Blue House Press Secretary Kwon Hyuk-ki, former Moon Jae-in candidate political special advisor Seon Jong-moon, and former Liberty Korea Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se. In Seoul Gwangjin District Eul, vacated by newly appointed Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, two preliminary candidates, former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and former presidential secretary Kim Sang-jin, have registered.

In Guro District Eul, the constituency of Minister Park Young-sun, there is speculation about the possible candidacy of Yoon Gun-young, head of the Blue House National Policy Planning Office. So far, former Seoul City Council Vice Chairman Cho Kyu-young of the Democratic Party and Kang Yo-sik, head of the Liberty Korea Party's local party committee, have registered as preliminary candidates. In the constituency of Representative Pyo Chang-won (first-term, Yongin Jeong, Gyeonggi), Kim Beom-su, head of the Liberty Korea Party's local party committee, is the sole preliminary candidate registered.

The region with the biggest variable due to the Liberty Korea Party lawmakers' non-candidacy announcements is Busan and Gyeongnam. Among the nine Liberty Korea Party lawmakers who declared non-candidacy, six represent constituencies in Busan and Gyeongnam.

In the constituency of Kim Moo-sung, a six-term Liberty Korea Party lawmaker who declared non-candidacy early (Busan Jung-gu and Yeongdo-gu), Kim Bi-oh, Democratic Party local committee chairman, and Kwak Kyu-taek, head of the Liberty Korea Party's local party committee, have registered as preliminary candidates. In Busan Geumjeong-gu, where Kim Se-yeon dominated, only former Democratic Party local committee chairman Kim Kyung-ji has registered as a preliminary candidate. In Busan Buk-gu, Gangseo-gu Eul, the constituency of Kim Do-eup, three Democratic Party and one Justice Party candidates have registered as preliminary candidates.

In the constituency of Representative Yeo Sang-gyu (3-term, Sacheon City, Namhae County, Hadong County, Gyeongnam), there are as many as five Liberty Korea Party preliminary candidates.

In the constituency of Han Sun-kyo, a four-term Liberty Korea Party lawmaker (Yongin City Byeong, Gyeonggi), four candidates have registered as preliminary candidates, including former Blue House administrative officer Lee Hong-young of the Democratic Party and Kwon Mina, chairman of the Korea Culture and Arts Research Institute affiliated with the Liberty Korea Party.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.