Democratic Party Runoff Elections for Local Government Heads in 9 North Jeolla Districts to Be Held April 20-21

by Noh Junghun

Published 19 Apr.2026 22:42(KST)

Provincial Party Says, "Refrain from Excessive Slander... Will Hold All Responsible"

The runoff elections for basic local government heads in nine districts of North Jeolla Province, where no candidate secured a majority in the main primaries of the Democratic Party of Korea, will be held on April 20.

According to the North Jeolla Provincial Chapter of the Democratic Party on April 19, final candidates will be selected through runoff votes in nine constituencies-Jeonju, Gunsan, Iksan, Jeongeup, Namwon, Wanju, Jinan, Imsil, and Buan-over two days from April 20 to 21.

Democratic Party Runoff Elections for Local Government Heads in 9 North Jeolla Districts to Be Held April 20-21

In detail, by alphabetical order: ▲ the Jeonju mayoral runoff will be between Woo Beomgi and Cho Jihoon; ▲ Gunsan mayoral runoff between Kim Youngil and Kim Jaejun; ▲ Iksan mayoral runoff between Cho Yongsik and Choi Jeongho; ▲ Jeongeup mayoral runoff between Lee Sanggil and Lee Haksoo; ▲ Namwon mayoral runoff between Yang Chungmo and Lee Jeongrin; ▲ Wanju county head runoff between Yoo Heetae and Lee Donsung; ▲ Jinan county head runoff between Lee Ugyu and Jeon Chunsung; ▲ Imsil county head runoff between Kim Byeongi and Han Deuksu; ▲ Buan county head runoff between Kwon Ikhyun and Kim Jeonggi. The primary method remains the same as the main election, combining 50% of the votes from party members with voting rights and 50% from ARS (automated response system) using safe numbers.

The North Jeolla Provincial Chapter of the Democratic Party has recently taken steps to address the increasingly heated primary atmosphere in some areas. On this day, the North Jeolla Provincial Election Commission issued a statement expressing concerns over the intensifying primary competition and urged selected candidates to act responsibly. The commission stated its intention to respond strongly, recognizing that such issues could significantly impact the fairness and credibility of internal party primaries.

The North Jeolla Provincial Election Commission noted that in some areas, unverified information is being spread and negative campaigning is being used as a weapon by candidates. Additionally, as the competition intensifies, the number of text messages containing criticism is also increasing.

The commission stated, "It is important to recognize that excessive slander or baseless suspicions will only result in party division and affect voters," adding, "We will treat acts that undermine the fairness of the primaries as serious violations and hold those responsible to account until the end."