June 1 Local Election: Jeonbuk Region Remains a Stronghold of the Democratic Party

Democratic Party Sweeps Governor and 11 City/County Seats

Unexpected Independent Wins in Muju, Imsil, and Sunchang

Superintendent Seo Geo-seok Avenge Defeat from 4 Years Ago

[Jeonju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho] In the recent June 1 local elections, Jeonbuk once again proved to be a stronghold of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Along with the governor, Democratic Party candidates won in 11 cities and counties.

On the other hand, in three counties?Muju-gun, Imsil-gun, and Sunchang-gun?independent candidates narrowly won by a slim margin.

In the case of the superintendent of education, candidate Seo Geo-seok, who had consistently ranked first in opinion polls, was elected, making up for the pain of defeat four years ago.

According to the local election vote count results, Democratic Party candidate Kim Kwan-young won the Jeonbuk governor election with an overwhelming 82.11% (591,510 votes), becoming the 8th governor. His opponent, People Power Party candidate Cho Bae-sook, received only 17.88% (128,828 votes).

In the Jeonju mayoral race, Democratic Party candidate Woo Beom-gi won comfortably with 74.12% (160,339 votes), surpassing People Power Party candidate Kim Kyung-min and Justice Party candidate Seo Yoon-geun.

For the Iksan mayoral election, Democratic Party candidate Jeong Heon-yul secured a landslide victory with 69.97% (72,544 votes), leading by over 55,000 votes against independent candidate Lim Hyeong-taek, who came in second. This marks Jeong’s successful third term.

In the Gunsan mayoral election, Democratic Party candidate Kang Im-jun, who was seeking re-election, comfortably defeated independent candidate Na Gi-hak with 68.24% (56,843 votes).

The Jeongeup mayoral election, which was expected to be a close contest from the start, saw Democratic Party candidate Lee Hak-su win narrowly with 49.75% (25,964 votes), beating independent candidate Kim Min-young, who received 45.77% (23,891 votes), by 2,073 votes.

In the Namwon mayoral election, Democratic Party candidate Choi Kyung-sik won with 37.17% (16,127 votes), defeating independent candidates Kang Dong-won with 31.13% (13,508 votes) and Yoon Seung-ho with 27.84% (12,082 votes).

For the Gimje mayoral race, Democratic Party candidate Jeong Seong-ju was elected with 54.67% (22,531 votes), surpassing independent candidate Kim Jong-hoe, who received 41.48% (17,096 votes).

In the six cities of Jeonbuk, Democratic Party candidates took first place without major variables.

In contrast, in eight counties, the Democratic Party won five, and independents won three, an unexpected but notable outcome.

In some areas, the margin between first and second place was very narrow, ranging from just over 100 votes to around 800 votes.

In Wanju-gun, Democratic Party candidate Yoo Hee-tae showed strong late-stage momentum, winning with 40.89% (16,329 votes), narrowly defeating independent candidate Guk Young-seok, who received 35.82% (14,306 votes), by about 2,000 votes.

In the Jinan-gun election, Democratic Party candidate Jeon Chun-seong won with 61.70% (9,818 votes), and in Muju-gun, independent candidate Hwang In-hong secured re-election with 58.15% (9,114 votes), both comfortably beating their rivals.

In Jangsu-gun, where incumbent county head Jang Young-su, excluded from the Democratic Party nomination screening, ran as an independent, Democratic Party candidate Choi Hoon-sik won with 53.62% (7,479 votes), defeating Jang, who received 43.33% (6,044 votes).

In Imsil-gun, Sunchang-gun, and Gochang-gun, extremely close contests unfolded.

In the Imsil-gun election, independent candidate Shim Min narrowly defeated Democratic Party candidate Han Byung-rak with 44.17% (7,540 votes) to 43.14% (7,634 votes), winning by a razor-thin margin of 176 votes. Shim achieved the historic feat of becoming the first three-term Imsil-gun head.

In Sunchang-gun, independent candidate Choi Young-il won with 52.36% (9,380 votes), beating Democratic Party candidate Choi Ki-hwan, who received 47.63% (8,534 votes), by 846 votes.

In Gochang-gun, Democratic Party candidate Shim Deok-seop won narrowly with 49.72% (16,584 votes), defeating independent candidate Yoo Ki-sang by 815 votes.

Finally, in the Buan-gun election, Democratic Party candidate Kwon Ik-hyun, seeking re-election, won with 57.70% (15,351 votes), beating independent candidate Kim Seong-su, who received 37.05% (9,859 votes), by over 5,500 votes.

Meanwhile, in the Jeonbuk superintendent of education election, which saw intense negative campaigning until the end, candidate Seo Geo-seok won with 43.52% (310,247 votes), defeating second-place candidate Cheon Ho-seong by 24,494 votes.

Jeonju=Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho stonepeak@asiae.co.kr

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