Democratic Party’s Seoul Mayoral Primary Heats Up... Big Match Looms in Busan

One More Joint Debate for Preliminary Candidates
Focus on Policy Competition with Transportation Pledges

With the 9th nationwide local elections set to take place on June 3, competition is intensifying in the most closely watched regions, Seoul and Busan. Preliminary candidates for the Seoul mayoral race from the Democratic Party of Korea have entered the primary phase, including a joint debate scheduled for this week. Busan has also rapidly emerged as a region of high interest, not only due to the mayoral race but also because of the possibility of a major match-up in the parliamentary by-elections.

Officials from the Gwangju Election Commission are conducting a mock vote count on May 25 at the Kim Daejung Convention Center in Seo-gu, Gwangju, ahead of the 9th nationwide local elections to be held on June 3. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The Democratic Party’s preliminary candidates for Seoul mayor—Park Jumin, Jeong Wonoh, Jeon Hyunhee, Kim Hyungnam, and Kim Youngbae—will hold joint debates over two days, on March 19 and 20. The party’s election commission has increased the number of debates from one to two sessions.

The Democratic Party’s Seoul mayoral candidates are focusing on policy competition by announcing transportation pledges. Candidate Jeong Wonoh proposed a “30-minute commuting city” plan aimed at reducing average commute times across Seoul to around 30 minutes. Candidate Jeon Hyunhee put forward transportation policies centered on free school transportation and the phased introduction of free public transit. Candidate Park Jumin pledged to gradually make all public transportation in Seoul free over a ten-year period, while candidate Kim Youngbae suggested redesigning the city’s transport system so that anyone can reach key hubs within 10 minutes. Candidate Kim Hyungnam pledged a 100% tax credit on public transportation expenses for working citizens, among other policies.

In Busan, attention is focused on a potential head-to-head race between Han Donghun, former leader of the People Power Party, and Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party. The Buk-gu Gap district in Busan, currently represented by Assemblyman Jeon Jaesoo who declared his candidacy for Busan mayor from the Democratic Party, is a strong contender for a by-election. Haeundae Gap, the district of Assemblyman Ju Jinwoo, who is running in the People Power Party’s Busan mayoral primary, could also be added to the by-election list depending on the primary results.

Han Donghun has drawn attention to the possibility of running in the by-election by making field visits to Busan for two consecutive weeks. A representative from Han’s camp stated, “Since the boundaries for the by-elections have not yet been finalized, nothing has been decided.” If Han were to run in Buk-gu Gap, a major match-up with Cho Kuk could take place. The general assessment is that Buk-gu Gap is not a safe seat for the People Power Party.

Meanwhile, the Busan mayoral race has become a key battleground with Assemblyman Jeon’s candidacy declaration. The Democratic Party, hoping to reclaim the Busan mayoralty, is seeking to expand its support base by leveraging the successful relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. For the People Power Party, the race is shaping up as a contest between incumbent Mayor Park Hyungjoon and Assemblyman Ju Jinwoo. Mayor Park stated, “I am running for a third term to reap the fruits of city administration innovation over the past five years.” Assemblyman Ju said, “Reform must be carried out with clean hands.”

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