[General Election Battleground] Cheongju·Asan This Time... Interpretation Difficulty Highest Level, Chungcheong Public Sentiment

⑧ Chungnam·Chungbuk - Chungnam Asan Gap, Chungbuk Cheongju Sangdang-gu
Asan Gap, Possible Rematch Between Ruling Party Lee Myung-su and Opposition Bok Gi-wang
Sangdang-gu, Overflowing Opposition Candidates... Ruling Party Jeong Woo-taek and Yoon Gap-geun Considered

Editor's NoteThe 22nd general election on April 10 next year is just over six months away. We explore the electoral landscape by visiting key battlegrounds across the country to gauge the district-level outlook. We analyze the nation region by region, focusing on places where the ruling and opposition parties had close contests, where major candidates are running, or where internal party competition is fierce.

Chungcheongnam-do and Chungcheongbuk-do were regions where the ruling and opposition parties were evenly matched in the 21st general election in 2020. In Chungnam, the Democratic Party of Korea won 6 seats, while the United Future Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) took 5 seats. In Chungbuk, the Democratic Party secured 5 seats and the United Future Party 3 seats, showing a clear difference.

In major elections, public sentiment in the Chungcheong region is considered extremely difficult to interpret until the very end. It is said that it is not easy to know in advance who voters support or which candidate is favored until they actually cast their vote at the polling station.

Both ruling and opposition parties inevitably feel anxious. Looking back at past general elections, the side that won in the Chungcheong region generally became the overall winner of the general election.

On June 1, 2022, the day of the 8th nationwide local elections, voters are casting their precious votes at Yeonhui-dong 6th polling station set up at Seodaemun-gu Office in Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

In the 22nd general election on April 10 next year, the voting sentiment in Chungnam and Chungbuk is expected to be an important subject of study for both parties' election strategies. Among the most noteworthy areas in Chungnam and Chungbuk are Asan Gap in Chungnam and Cheongju Sangdang-gu in Chungbuk.

Asan Gap was the district where United Future Party candidate Lee Myung-su won with 38,167 votes (49.8%) in the 21st general election. Democratic Party candidate Bok Gi-wang performed well with 37,603 votes (49.1%) but narrowly lost. The vote difference between the two candidates was only 564 votes.

Unless there is an upset, a rematch between the two candidates is expected in next year’s general election. Both candidates have solid local bases and are in a position to expect victory. Although there is still much time before the nomination for Asan Gap is finalized, it remains to be seen whether any intra-party challengers will emerge to threaten the two candidates.

Cheongju Sangdang, Interest in Ruling and Opposition Candidate Lineups... Possibility of a Big Match

Cheongju Sangdang-gu is expected to have a more complicated nomination process for both ruling and opposition parties compared to Asan Gap.

In the 21st general election, Democratic Party candidate Jeong Jeong-sun won with 45,707 votes (47.1%). United Future Party candidate Yoon Gap-geun received 42,682 votes (44.0%) but experienced the pain of defeat. Jeong Jeong-sun lost her parliamentary seat due to allegations including violations of the Public Official Election Act.

Many candidates are vying for Cheongju Sangdang-gu, especially on the Democratic Party side. Lee Kang-il, the district chairman of Sangdang-gu; Kim Hyung-geun, former president of Korea Gas Safety Corporation; and Choi Chung-jin, former chairman of Cheongju City Council, are all mentioned. They are competitors for the district chairmanship. Former Seowon University professor Lee Hyun-woong and Kim Si-jin, CEO of Crexion, are also mentioned as candidates.

There is also interest in whether former Blue House Chief Secretary Noh Young-min and former Cheongju Mayor Han Beom-deok will run. The Democratic Party is expected to have fierce competition during the candidate nomination process.

For the People Power Party, the focus is on whether Jeong Woo-taek, the National Assembly Deputy Speaker who re-entered the National Assembly through the Cheongju Sangdang-gu by-election held alongside the presidential election on March 9 last year, will run. Alongside incumbent Jeong Woo-taek, the potential re-challenge of former Daegu High Prosecutors’ Office chief Yoon Gap-geun, who ran in the 2020 general election, is also a subject of interest.

For the Justice Party, whether former lawmaker Kim Jong-dae will decide to run in Sangdang-gu is a point of attention.

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