[Chungnam Showdown] Kim Tae-heum vs. Park Soo-hyun... Cheonan and Asan with 1.1 Million Residents Are the Key Battlegrounds [Sisa Show]

Regarding the South Chungcheong Province governor election, the People Power Party has nominated current Governor Kim Tae-heum as its sole candidate. The Democratic Party has confirmed Assemblyman Park Soo-hyun, who defeated former Governor Yang Seung-jo in the runoff, as its candidate. The two, who previously worked together as aides for a National Assembly member from the same party, are now facing off in a direct showdown. Who will ultimately emerge victorious?

First, let’s look at the results of elections in South Chungcheong Province over the past five years. In the 2022 presidential election, candidate Yoon Suk-yeol led candidate Lee Jae-myung by more than 6 percentage points: 51.08% versus 44.96%. The People Power Party also won a decisive victory in the 2022 local elections, securing not only the governorship but also winning in 12 out of 15 basic local government areas. However, the atmosphere changed somewhat in the 2024 National Assembly election: the Democratic Party won in 8 districts, while the People Power Party secured 3. In last year’s presidential election, how did things play out? Candidate Lee Jae-myung received 47.68% of the vote, candidate Kim Moon-soo received 43.26%, and candidate Lee Jun-seok garnered 8%. Overall, the difference between progressive and conservative support was not significant.

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Kim Tae-heum, the People Power Party candidate, was born in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, in 1962. He graduated from Gongju High School and the Department of International Trade at Konkuk University. He previously served as Public Affairs Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office and as Deputy Governor for Political Affairs of South Chungcheong Province. He is a three-term assemblyman and has served as a Supreme Council member of the Liberty Korea Party. After being elected South Chungcheong governor in the 2022 local election, he is now seeking re-election. Park Soo-hyun, the Democratic Party candidate, was born in Gongju, South Chungcheong, in 1964. He graduated from Gongju National University of Education High School and studied Western History at Seoul National University. He has served as spokesperson and senior secretary for public communication at the presidential office, as well as chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, and is now running as the party’s gubernatorial candidate.

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Candidate Kim is focusing on his administration’s achievements, given the low party approval ratings for the People Power Party. Under the slogan “Powerful Chungnam,” he highlights securing 13 trillion won in national funding and attracting foreign investment. Candidate Park emphasizes that “if President Lee Jae-myung is a master of administration, I am a master of communication,” positioning himself as a strong candidate capable of active engagement with the central government.

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Of South Chungcheong Province’s total population of 2.13 million, Cheonan and Asan are the most populous areas, with about 700,000 and 400,000 residents, respectively. This is why many say the outcome will largely depend on which candidate effectively targets Cheonan and Asan. Kim Tae-heum has pledged to build a domed stadium, promising to invest 1 trillion won by 2031 to construct a facility capable of accommodating 50,000 people on a 200,000-square-meter site about a 10-minute walk from KTX Cheonan-Asan Station.

The day after Park Soo-hyun was confirmed as the Democratic Party candidate, the first places he visited were Cheonan and Asan. After stopping at the Hyeonchungsa Shrine in Asan, he visited a smart factory company and the Green Startup Town in Cheonan, emphasizing a major transition to AI. He pledged to lead a new industrial renaissance in South Chungcheong Province by integrating AI into key industries such as semiconductors, displays, mobility, petrochemicals, and steel, especially centered around Cheonan, Asan, Dangjin, and Seosan.

According to a survey conducted by Gallup Korea at the request of Segye Ilbo on April 8-9, 2026, involving 804 South Chungcheong residents aged 18 and over via telephone interviews, Park received 51% support while Kim received 34%. Respondents who answered “none” or “don’t know/refused to answer” accounted for 5% and 10%, respectively. (For more details, refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.) With more than 40 days remaining until the election, there is still potential for change at any time.

The two candidates have already clashed over whether the “Chungnam AI budget” has been secured. Park claims that, starting from zero, he was able to secure 15 billion won in AI funding, while Kim’s camp countered that approximately 320 billion won had already been secured and was in progress. This is just the beginning; heated debates are also expected over the potential administrative integration of Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province. Park’s camp criticizes the People Power Party for opposing the integration due to political disadvantage, while Kim’s camp argues that for genuine integration to occur, support must not be one-off but consistent and systematic.

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