Democratic Party to Hold 1st Round of Seoul Mayor Primary on 26-27, Final Selection on 29

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Democratic Party of Korea has decided to finalize its candidate for the Seoul mayoral election in the June 1 local elections on the 29th.

On the afternoon of the 24th, spokesperson Cho Oh-seop stated in a briefing after the emergency committee meeting regarding the Seoul mayoral primary, "We have resolved to hold the first round of primaries on the 26th and 27th, followed by a two-day runoff vote starting on the 28th."

Accordingly, the two candidates who rank first and second in the first round of primaries will proceed to the runoff, and the final Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor will be selected on the 29th.

Previously, among the six candidates who applied as preliminary candidates for Seoul mayor, the Democratic Party narrowed the primary candidates down to three: former party leader Song Young-gil, lawmaker Park Ju-min, and former lawmaker Kim Jin-ae. Unlike other primaries with more than three candidates, the Seoul primary will hold a runoff vote between the first and second place candidates even if a candidate receives a majority in the first round.

Spokesperson Cho said, "The number of broadcast debates has been increased from one to two," adding, "On the 25th, the three candidates will hold a debate, and on the 27th, the two candidates advancing to the runoff will have a debate."

Meanwhile, the emergency committee decided to strategically nominate Bae Guk-hwan, vice chairman of Sampyo and former 2nd Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance and former Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Incheon City, as the candidate for Seongnam mayor.

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