[Issue] Gwangsan-eul By-election Candidate Pool Reshuffled: "Who Will Be Ultimately Chosen?"

With Min Hyungbae, a lawmaker representing Gwangsan-eul in Gwangju, confirmed as the Democratic Party’s candidate for the inaugural Jeonnam·Gwangju Integrated Special Mayor election, and former Democratic Party leader Song Younggil having been nominated for Incheon Yeonsu-gap on April 23, the lineup of potential candidates for the Gwangsan-eul parliamentary by-election is gradually becoming clearer. As the party leadership has formalized the principle of strategic nominations for all districts in the upcoming parliamentary by-elections, the local political scene is closely watching the direction of candidate selection and the evolving lineup of figures.

According to a compilation of reports by The Asia Business Daily on April 24, Gwangsan-eul is an electoral district centered around emerging residential areas, including Cheomdan and Suwan districts, with approximately 220,000 eligible voters. As an area with a relatively high proportion of younger residents within Gwangju, it has been regarded as a constituency that can proactively reflect shifts in the region’s political trends.

The Gwangsan-eul by-election will be held on June 3, along with the local elections, if Assemblyman Min resigns from his seat by April 30 to register as a candidate for the main race in the local elections. Under the current Public Official Election Act, a member of the National Assembly must resign at least 30 days before the election day to run for a local government head position. Unless there are significant changes, Min is expected to resign and register as a candidate for the Integrated Special Mayor election.

With the Democratic Party leadership formalizing the principle of strategic nominations for all parliamentary by-elections, Gwangsan-eul is also moving toward a scenario in which the candidate will be determined through this approach.

As the strategic nomination method is effectively set, attention within the local political sphere is naturally shifting to the pool of potential candidates. Currently, Seungju Baek, Vice Director of the Democratic Research Institute, and Sukkyoon Kang, Vice Governor for Economic Affairs of Jeonnam Province, are being mentioned as likely contenders.

From the left, Sukkyoon Kang, Vice Governor for Economy of Jeonnam Province, and Seungju Baek, Deputy Director of the Democratic Research Institute.

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Seungju Baek, Vice Director of the Democratic Research Institute, is a former economic official who previously served as Director-General for Policy Coordination at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Policy Analyst at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Deputy Director at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). He later served as Deputy Head of Policy Headquarters for presidential candidate Lee Jaemyung’s election committee and as an advisory member of the National Policy Planning Committee’s Economic Division, building his career in the policy sector.

Sukkyoon Kang, Vice Governor for Economic Affairs of Jeonnam Province, built his local foundation as Director of the Deomoreak Senior Welfare Center in Gwangsan-gu, and has continued his involvement within the party as Standing Advisor of the National Innovation Conference of the Democratic Party and as Head of Scheduling for the presidential candidate’s secretariat. He is regarded as a figure with both strong local organizational roots and connections to the central political scene.

As the Gwangsan-eul by-election is likely to be held simultaneously with the Integrated Special Mayor election, it is expected to carry symbolic significance that goes beyond a simple local election and is closely linked to the future political landscape of the Integrated Special City.

A local political source stated, "Since the Gwangsan-eul by-election is held at the same time as the Integrated Special Mayor election, it carries meaning beyond an ordinary by-election. Depending on who is selected as the candidate, it could also signal where the political center of gravity will lie after the launch of the Integrated Special City."

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