People Power Party Strengthens Independent Regional Campaigns in Gyeonggi Following Seoul and Busan, Distancing from Central Leadership

Six Gyeonggi Lawmakers in People Power Party Announce Launch of Independent Campaign Headquarters
Seoul and Busan Also Highlight Regional Campaign Teams
People Power Party Faces Recruitment Challenges for By-Election Nominations

As the 9th nationwide local elections approach on June 3, regional election committees (campaign headquarters) within the People Power Party are launching one after another, signaling a distancing from the central party. The trend of strengthening independent campaign headquarters is spreading from Seoul and Busan to Gyeonggi Province. There are also signs of recruitment difficulties for candidates in the capital region, especially for by-elections and re-elections.

On April 21, six People Power Party lawmakers from Gyeonggi Province—Kim Sungyo, Kim Sungwon, Kim Yongtae, Kim Eunhye, Song Seokjun, and Ahn Cheolsoo—issued a joint statement to push for the formation of an independent campaign headquarters for the Gyeonggi governor race. With the party’s candidate for Gyeonggi governor expected to be confirmed as early as the beginning of next month, observers interpret the lawmakers’ move to proactively build a campaign team as a strategic response aimed at appealing to centrist voters in the greater Seoul area.

As the candidate selection process is delayed, a sense of crisis is growing on the ground. Unlike Democratic Party lawmaker Choo Mi-ae, who was confirmed early as a candidate and has already begun her campaign, the People Power Party has yet to officially start its primary. Assemblyman Kim Sungyo stated, “We need to confirm the gubernatorial candidate quickly, if only for the sake of local government chief candidates fighting alone on the front lines,” and added, “We must give full authority to a commander-in-chief who will oversee the capital region belt.”

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who has been confirmed as the People Power Party's candidate for the June 3 local election for Seoul mayor, is holding a press conference. Photo by Yonhap News

While it is common to form regional campaign teams for local elections, it is unusual for each region to establish independent headquarters before the launch of a central campaign team. In Seoul, Mayor Oh Se-hoon is devising an integrated campaign structure and sending a message of differentiation from the central party. In Busan, Mayor Park Hyungjun also emphasized a region-centered election strategy by mentioning the formation of area-specific campaign headquarters. The party leadership has indicated, “The central campaign headquarters will serve to support and fill in gaps for the regional campaign teams,” effectively signaling acceptance of a region-led system.

The People Power Party is also experiencing difficulties in nominating candidates for by-elections and re-elections. The party faces recruitment challenges in securing candidates for the capital region. In areas such as Incheon Gyeyang-eul and Hanam-gap in Gyeonggi Province, the lack of candidates has led to discussions about bringing in so-called “old boys” like Kim Moonsoo, Won Heeryong, and Yoo Seungmin.

Nomination calculations are also complicated in key by-election and re-election districts such as Buk-gu-gap in Busan and one mayoral seat in Daegu. In Buk-gu-gap, there are rumors of former leader Han Donghoon running as an independent, while in Daegu, the situation remains uncertain due to variables such as the possible candidacy of former chair Lee Jin-sook.

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