The Victory of "Carving Up the Seats": Analysis of 504 Unopposed Winners

Democratic Party Sweeps 314 Seats, People Power Party Takes 198
No Competition in Strongholds of Honam and Yeongnam, Bipartisan Deals in Seoul Metropolitan Area
Attorney Ha Seungsoo: "The Flaws of Two-Member Districts Have Been Exposed"

In the June 3 local elections, a total of 504 candidates were elected without a single vote being cast. While the specifics varied depending on the election method—whether for metropolitan or basic council members—the results once again confirmed that local politics have been undermined by party collusion and regionalism.

According to data submitted on May 18 by the office of Assemblywoman Lim Mi-ae of the Democratic Party of Korea, and obtained from the National Election Commission, 504 candidates for 307 local electoral districts—including basic district heads, metropolitan council members, and basic council members nationwide—were effectively elected without an actual vote (with official confirmation of election on election day). Since the number of candidates exactly matched the number of available seats, there was no need to hold an election.

By party, the Democratic Party of Korea secured 306 seats, the People Power Party won 197, and the Progressive Party gained 1 seat. This means that 99.8% of the uncontested winners came from the two major parties. When a candidate is elected unopposed, election posters, campaign materials, and even ballots are omitted. As a result, local representatives were automatically decided without residents having any opportunity to learn about the candidates or their campaign pledges.

For metropolitan council seats, which elect one member per district, most uncontested winners in the Honam region were from the Democratic Party of Korea, while in North Gyeongsang, the People Power Party dominated. In total, 108 metropolitan council members were chosen without an election: 34 in Gwangju Metropolitan City, 25 in North Jeolla Province, and 23 in North Gyeongsang Province. After both the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party established dominance in the Honam and Yeongnam regions respectively, even competition disappeared from the process.

Reporter Jinhyung Kang

The situation was different for basic council seats, where two to five members are elected per district. Here, 305 basic council members were elected unopposed, with the highest numbers in Seoul (92, 30.2%), Gyeonggi Province (65, 21.3%), and Busan (32, 10.5%). In these areas, the two main parties divided the seats according to a “golden ratio,” each nominating candidates in a way that led to uncontested victories. In Seoul, 50 Democratic Party of Korea candidates and 42 from the People Power Party were elected without opposition. In Gyeonggi Province, the Democratic Party of Korea had 35, and the People Power Party had 30. In Busan, both parties each had 16 candidates elected unopposed.

Attorney Ha Seungsoo of the Public Interest Law Center Nongbon stated, “Local politics should allow diverse political forces to compete over policies and agendas relevant to daily life, but because certain parties—or both major parties—divide the seats among themselves, a large number of uncontested winners are produced. The appearance of uncontested elections even in metropolitan areas is the result of the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party each nominating one candidate in basic council districts that elect two representatives.” He added, “This mass occurrence of uncontested winners clearly demonstrates the need for reforms to the Political Parties Act or the election system, exposing the fundamental problems of two-member electoral districts.”

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