Minor Candidates Targeting Niche... Heo Kyung-young and Jeong Kyu-jae Surpass 1%

Heo Kyung-young, 3rd Place with 1.07% Vote Share

Female-Focused Pledges Boost Candidate
Kim Jin-ah Rises to 4th with 0.68%

Heo Kyung-young, Honorary Representative of the National Revolutionary Party, is registering as a candidate for the Seoul mayoral by-election at the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 18th. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Jeon Jinyoung and Park Juni] Some candidates made surprising advances in the April 7 by-elections. Heo Kyung-young, the Seoul mayoral candidate from the National Revolutionary Party, succeeded in surpassing the 1% vote share threshold, which he had never crossed before. Jeong Gyu-jae, the Busan mayoral candidate from the Liberty Democratic Party, also exceeded 1%, while Kim Jin-ah from the Women's Party ranked 4th in the Seoul mayoral race, surpassing the Basic Income Party candidate, who is a parliamentary party member.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Candidate Heo secured 1.07% of the vote (52,107 votes) in the Seoul mayoral election, placing third behind the winner Oh Se-hoon and former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun. This is a significant record for Heo personally. In the 15th presidential election, he received 0.15%, and in the 17th presidential election, 0.4%, never once surpassing 1%. His campaign proposals, such as establishing a marriage department and implementing a state-run dating program for singles with a monthly payment of 200,000 won, attracted attention. Conservative commentator Jeong also made a notable showing by pledging to designate Busan as a special free city and establish an audit office, earning 1.06% (16,380 votes) and placing third among Busan mayoral candidates.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Candidates with women-focused pledges also performed relatively well, indicating a growing demand for solutions to women's issues. In the Seoul mayoral race, Kim, who ran solely on women-related policies, garnered 0.68% (33,421 votes), placing fourth and ahead of Shin Ji-hye, the Basic Income Party candidate who holds a parliamentary seat. Kim emphasized women's safety and gender equality, pledging to launch a women's violence response organization and secure 50% female executives in Seoul's public institutions. Their strong performance is interpreted as reflecting increased public interest in rejecting the political structure dominated by the two major parties. However, none of the minor candidates surpassed 10% of the vote share, making it difficult for them to receive reimbursement for election expenses.

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