Democratic and Progressive Parties Agree to Unify Ulsan Mayoral Race... "Kim Sangwook and Kim Jonghun to Compete in Poll-Based Primary"

Agreement Reached on Candidate Unification in Ulsan and Busan Yeonje District

On May 15, the Democratic Party of Korea reached an agreement on candidate unification in the Ulsan region with the Progressive Party and others on the final day of candidate registration. For the Ulsan mayoral race, Democratic Party candidate Kim Sangwook and Progressive Party candidate Kim Jonghun will select a single unified candidate based on the results of a public opinion poll, marking a successful unification among the ruling bloc allies.

Cho Seungrae, Secretary-General of the Democratic Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly that day to announce the unification, stating, "We have agreed to unify with the Progressive Party to revive the heart of the Republic of Korea's industrial capital and to raise our chances of victory by even 1%."

Joe Seungrae Cho, Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Korea (third from left), and Changhyun Shin, Secretary General of the Progressive Party (second from left), are taking a commemorative photo after signing an agreement on election alliance and candidate unification for the June 3 local elections in Ulsan Metropolitan City and Yeonje District, Busan Metropolitan City at the National Assembly on May 15, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

Going forward, Kim Sangwook and Kim Jonghun will unify their candidacy through a primary in which the results are determined 100% by a public opinion poll. The previous day, Hwang Myungpil, a preliminary mayoral candidate of the Innovation Party for Ulsan, withdrew from the race and declared support for Kim Sangwook.

The Democratic Party and the Progressive Party also agreed to candidate unification for the basic local government heads in five districts/counties of Ulsan, some metropolitan council seats in Ulsan, and the basic local government head in Yeonje District, Busan.

Specifically, for Dong-gu District in Ulsan, the Democratic Party candidate will withdraw and the race will be unified under the Progressive Party candidate. In Buk-gu and Jung-gu Districts, the Progressive Party candidates will withdraw. For Nam-gu and Ulju County, the two parties will hold a primary to unify their candidacies, with the outcome determined entirely by a public opinion poll.

For Ulsan metropolitan council seats, unification will proceed via a primary in four constituencies: Dong-gu Constituency 3 (Nammok 1, 2, 3-dong), Buk-gu Constituency 3 (Gangdong-dong, Hyomun-dong, Yangjeong-dong, Yeompo-dong), Jung-gu Constituency 2 (Byeongyeong 1 and 2-dong), and Nam-gu Constituency 3 (Samho-dong, Mugeo-dong). The specific methods for these unifications will be discussed separately.

Additionally, both parties have agreed to operate these regions as 'citizen-sovereign local governments' going forward and to institutionalize citizen participation and collaborative governance in ordinance enactment. They also plan to develop joint policy initiatives.

Lee Yeonhee, Strategic Planning Committee Chair of the Democratic Party, added, "We began discussions in April, with Shin Changhyun, Secretary-General of the Progressive Party, serving as the negotiation channel, and focused on negotiations in May. This agreement is premised on the great sacrifice and dedication of each party's candidates. I express my deepest respect and gratitude for their commitment to putting the party and the greater good first."

However, unlike Ulsan, discussions on unifying the progressive bloc candidates of the Democratic Party, Innovation Party, and Progressive Party in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, where all three parties have fielded candidates, are currently stalled. Regarding this, Secretary-General Cho stated, "There have been no discussions concerning Pyeongtaek," and added, "In other places such as Jinju, Gyeongnam Province, unification discussions are underway at the local level. The central party is not significantly involved, and local chapters are handling the process independently."

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