Progressive Party to Field 178 Candidates in June 1 Local Elections... Leap to a 'National Party'

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The Progressive Party announced on the 12th that a total of 178 candidates will run in the upcoming June 1 local elections.

On the same day, the Progressive Party released a press statement saying, "In this election, we aim to achieve the election of at least one basic local government head and to produce winners in 16 metropolitan cities and provinces, marking a leap forward as a national and alternative party." Currently, the Progressive Party has 10 local councilors active in Gyeonggi, Gyeongnam, Gwangju, Ulsan, and Jeonnam.

Photo by Jinbo Party. From the left, Song Young-joo, candidate for Gyeonggi Province Governor; Min Jeom-gi, candidate for Jeonnam Province Governor; Kim Joo-eop, candidate for Gwangju Mayor; Kim Jong-hoon, candidate for Ulsan Dong-gu District Mayor; Jang Ji-hwa, candidate for Seongnam Mayor.

In this election, three candidates are running for metropolitan government heads: Song Young-joo (Gyeonggi Province Governor), Kim Joo-eop (Gwangju Mayor), and Min Jeom-gi (Jeonnam Province Governor). Additionally, two candidates are running for basic local government heads: Kim Jong-hoon (Ulsan Dong-gu District Mayor) and Jang Ji-hwa (Seongnam Mayor). Notably, candidate Kim Jong-hoon has former and current chairpersons of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) such as Kwon Young-gil, Dan Byung-ho, Lee Gap-yong, and Yang Kyung-soo joining his campaign committee. He is supported as a unified candidate of progressive parties including the KCTU, the Justice Party, and the Labor Party. Kim, who was also elected as Dong-gu District Mayor in the 2011 by-election, is aiming for victory with the goal of "creating a regional governance model for progressive parties." If Kim is elected, it will mark the first time in 11 years that a basic local government head from a progressive party is produced.

The total number of candidates running for local offices, including metropolitan and basic local government heads, is 126 (21 metropolitan councilors, 100 basic councilors), and there are 52 proportional representation candidates (24 metropolitan proportional, 28 basic proportional). Among all candidates, 110 are women (including candidates for Gyeonggi Province Governor, Seongnam Mayor, 8 metropolitan councilors, 19 metropolitan proportional councilors, 53 basic councilors, and 28 basic proportional councilors), accounting for 62% of all candidates.

The youngest candidate is Shin Eun-jin, running for the Gyeonggi metropolitan proportional representation. Shin is a 19-year-old candidate from a specialized high school background. She decided to run based on her diverse identities, including being a woman, youth, member of a multicultural family, and a high school graduate worker, with the aim of creating a world where everyone's human rights are respected.

A Progressive Party official stated, "Together with Progressive Party candidates who have been recognized by local residents as 'people who will work properly,' we will provide a proper check on the Yoon Suk-yeol government, overcome the entrenched conservative two-party system, and achieve a new leap forward in progressive politics."

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