[Issue] With "No Strategic Nomination" Declared, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Mayor Race Shifts Dramatically

Jeong Cheongrae Declares, "No Strategic Nomination"
Eight-Way Race for Integrated Mayor Heats Up
Votes of 300,000 Party Members Emerge as Key Factor
"Organizational Contest" and "Alliances of Convenience" Take Center Stage

Candidates running for the integrated market election in Gwangju, Jeonnam. (From the top left in the photo: Kang Kijeong, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City; Kim Youngrok, Governor of Jeonnam Province; Min Hyeongbae, Member of the National Assembly; Shin Junghoon, Member of the National Assembly; Lee Gaeho, Member of the National Assembly; Lee Byunghun, Senior Vice Chairman of the Democratic Party’s Honam Development Special Committee; Jeong Junho, Member of the National Assembly; Joo Chulhyun, Member of the National Assembly)

The long-standing speculation about a "strategic nomination" for the Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Special Mayor election has ultimately come to an end. The Democratic Party of Korea has decided to select its candidate through a primary rather than a strategic nomination.

On March 8, Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheongrae held his second press conference since taking office in the party leader's office at the National Assembly. He presented victory in the June 3 local elections as his "highest priority" and officially declared, "We will not proceed with a strategic nomination."

Previously, as the administrative integration of Jeonnam and Gwangju progressed and the integrated special mayoral election became a focal issue, there had been ongoing discussions within the local political circles about the possibility of a strategic nomination for a third-party figure, such as Kim Yongbeom, the policy chief at the Presidential Office. The perception that a new figure was needed due to the symbolic significance of electing the first integrated special mayor contributed to this speculation.

Kim Yongbeom, a native of Muan in Jeonnam, is a former economic official who previously served as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Vice Chairman of the Financial Services Commission. Since the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration, his expertise in fiscal and economic affairs became particularly prominent, leading both political insiders and observers to regard him as a suitable figure for attracting large-scale national projects and securing financial resources in the early days of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City.

However, with Jeong's announcement on this day, the possibility of this major variable influencing the June election for the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special Mayor has effectively disappeared.

As a result, the competition among the existing candidates is expected to intensify even further.

Currently, there are a total of eight confirmed candidates for the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special Mayor election: Kim Ki-jung, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City; Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province; Members of Parliament Joo Cheol-hyun, Min Hyung-bae, Shin Jung-hoon, Lee Gae-ho, and Jeong Jun-ho; and Lee Byung-hoon, Senior Deputy Chairman of the Democratic Party’s Honam Development Special Committee.

Although these candidates are all regarded as heavyweight politicians with significant influence in their respective constituencies, there is a common analysis that their recognition drops sharply outside their local bases. This limitation has been clearly demonstrated in various public opinion polls conducted by the media.

This is considered one of the biggest variables in the first integrated special mayoral election for Jeonnam and Gwangju.

The upcoming election will proceed as follows: during the preliminary primary on March 19 and 20, the eight candidates will be narrowed down to five; then, the main primary will be held from April 3 to 5. If no candidate wins a majority in the main primary, a runoff will be held from April 12 to 14 to determine the final candidate.

The preliminary primary will be conducted online through joint debates and speeches, and the candidates advancing to the main primary will be determined by a 100% vote of party members with voting rights. The main primary will be based on a 50% party member vote and a 50% public opinion poll.

In terms of the election structure, the influence of party members with voting rights is significant. Currently, the Democratic Party is estimated to have about 125,000 such members in Gwangju and approximately 180,000 in Jeonnam, about 60,000 more than in Gwangju.

The candidates now face the challenge of how to build support among the party members in a short period of time.

Especially since the decision to hold the integrated election was made relatively late, it is known that candidates from Gwangju are having difficulty building organizations in Jeonnam, and vice versa. Conversely, party members and residents of both Gwangju and Jeonnam also lack sufficient information about each candidate.

For this reason, there is talk of possible "alliances of convenience" among the candidates based on their respective interests. Some in political circles are concerned that the election could take the form of an organizational contest influenced by local power groups and established interests centered around party members and regional voters, rather than a policy-driven competition.

A local political figure commented, "Because of the symbolic significance of being the first mayor of the integrated special city, there were persistent rumors of recruiting figures from the central government. However, with the decision not to proceed with a strategic nomination, it is highly likely that the competition will ultimately be among local politicians. The key variable will be who can demonstrate the capacity to appeal across both Jeonnam and Gwangju."

Meanwhile, the first Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special Mayor is set to be elected in the upcoming June 3 local elections, coinciding with the official launch of the integrated special city in July.

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