[Current Affairs Show] Will Choo Mi-ae Become the First Female Metropolitan Governor?

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Assemblywoman Choo Mi-ae has been confirmed as the Democratic Party candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor in the June 3 local elections. In the main primary held from the 5th to the 7th, she secured more than half of the votes. Assemblywoman Choo stated, "I will repay you with victory," expressing her sentiments. Initially, few expected that she would be confirmed as the candidate without a runoff. Although the Democratic Party did not disclose the ranking and vote percentages of each candidate in accordance with party rules, it is estimated that Assemblywoman Choo received a mid-50% share, Governor Kim Dong-yeon a mid-30% share, and Assemblyman Han Joon-ho a mid-10% share. It is expected that, after ratification by the party's supreme council, Assemblywoman Choo will resign from her seat and register as a preliminary candidate.

Choo Mi-ae, the Democratic Party candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor, is entering the National Assembly Communication Office on the 8th to hold a press conference. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

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Governor Kim Dong-yeon reportedly performed well among moderate party members and independents, leveraging his stable provincial administration. However, it was not enough to overcome Assemblywoman Choo's solid wall of party member support. Assemblyman Han Joon-ho made a strong push in the final stage, but due to low name recognition and a lack of notable achievements, he was unable to prevent the flow of party members toward Assemblywoman Choo.

In fact, there are signs that votes shifted even more toward Assemblywoman Choo at the end. One of her close associates said, "Out of 320,000 rights-holding party members in Gyeonggi Province, it appears that around 170,000 to 180,000 voted. That's 30,000 to 40,000 more than in the preliminary primary, and it seems that about 70% to 80% of them voted for Assemblywoman Choo." In public opinion polls conducted among Democratic Party supporters and independents, the trend among party supporters was not significantly different from surveys of party members. Perhaps for this reason, Assemblywoman Choo's camp claims she secured more than half of the votes even without the 10% gender bonus for female candidates. Analysts also note that the votes from supporters of Kwon Chil-seung and Yang Ki-dae, as well as the psychology of voting for the likely winner, had an impact.

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What was the secret behind Assemblywoman Choo Mi-ae defeating Governor Kim Dong-yeon and Assemblyman Han Joon-ho by securing a majority in the first round? First, it is her alignment with Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae's basic policy of 'the era of party member sovereignty' and party member-centered management. Although Assemblyman Han Joon-ho ran on the 'Myung Pick' platform, it was not enough. For the time being, the trend of seeking support from party members is expected to continue within the Democratic Party. This is likely to extend into the party convention scheduled for August and the candidate nominations for the general election thereafter. Assemblywoman Choo, who entered politics in 1996 at the recommendation of former President Kim Dae-jung, has served as party leader, supreme council member, Minister of Justice, and chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, consistently being at the center of key issues. This has greatly influenced party member support for her. Third, her leadership in prosecutorial and judicial reform was highly valued by hardline party members for its progressive nature. Furthermore, Assemblywoman Choo is one of the few politicians in the Democratic Party with a dedicated fandom, and she demonstrated her ability to mobilize party member support on the strength of this fandom.

It is also noteworthy whether Assemblywoman Choo, who holds the title of 'the first woman to be elected to a local constituency six times,' will become the first female governor of a metropolitan government. Gyeonggi Province is a Democratic Party stronghold, with candidate Lee Jae-myung defeating candidate Kim Moon-soo by 1.38 million votes in the last presidential election. However, there remains a sense of unease and criticism within and outside the Democratic Party toward Assemblywoman Choo, with some saying, "She cannot be controlled" and "She is unpredictable." It will be important to see how she overcomes the unprepared image she displayed during the primary debates in the main election. Given these underlying factors, unexpected remarks or actions could shake up the election landscape. The Choo camp is also expected to pay special attention to crisis management.

The People Power Party candidate who will face Assemblywoman Choo has not yet been confirmed. While Yang Hyang-ja and Ham Jin-gyu are running, the People Power Party Nomination Management Committee is accepting additional applications.

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