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| A notice installed at the National Election Commission office in Jongno District, Seoul, Thursday, reads that 20 days are left until the June 1 local elections. Yonhap |
By Lee Hyo-jin
Candidate registration for the June 1 local elections and parliamentary by-elections began on Thursday for a two-day period, according to the National Election Commission (NEC), amid widespread anticipation that the upcoming elections will act as a litmus test for the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
The election watchdog said it will accept registrations until Friday, with the 13-day official campaign period kicking off on May 19. Candidates can campaign on the streets, put up election posters and send campaign materials to voters until May 31, while early voting will take place on May 27 and 28.
Up for grabs in the local elections are 17 provincial governor and mayor positions, as well as posts for local council members and the heads of regional education offices. On the sidelines of the quadrennial local elections, the country will pick seven lawmakers, after those seats were vacated as those who were elected in those districts have resigned in order to run for mayoral and gubernatorial posts.
The upcoming elections, which will be held three weeks after President Yoon Suk-yeol took office, are widely expected to be a bellwether of Yoon's early presidency, showing the public's opinion of the new government.
The minor ruling conservative People Power Party (PPP) seeks to clinch another victory following two successful previous elections ― the March 9 presidential election and the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections held in April 2021. Meanwhile, the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), now the main opposition party, seeks to reverse its losses through a big revival.
The by-elections are drawing attention after the former presidential candidates ― Lee Jae-myung and Ahn Cheol-soo ― declared their bids. DPK special advisor Lee lost the presidential race by a razor-thin margin, while Ahn merged his campaign with Yoon's just days before of the presidential election.
Lee, the former governor of Gyeonggi Province, will run for the parliamentary seat representing Incheon's Gyeyang-B District, which has been vacant since former DPK Chairman Song Young-gil resigned to run in the Seoul mayoral election. Ahn will run for the seat representing Bundang-A District in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, left by Kim Eun-hye of the PPP, who served as Yoon's spokesperson on his presidential transition team.
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| Officials of the National Election Commission (NEC) accept candidate registrations ahead of the June 1 local elections at the commission's office in Jongno District, Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press Corps |
As for the local elections, all eyes are on how the campaign will unfold in the Seoul metropolitan area, with the rival parties claiming that the mayoral seats in Seoul and Incheon, along with the gubernatorial post for Gyeonggi Province, will be key indicators in deciding the overall winner of the local elections.
In Seoul, Song of the DPK will compete against incumbent mayor Oh Se-hoon of the PPP, who will serve his fourth term as the city's mayor, if elected.
Early poll results have turned out favorably for Oh amid positive public sentiment for the new administration in Seoul. In a survey of 803 adults living in Seoul conducted by Korea Research at the request of MBC, from May 7 to 8, 49.8 percent of the respondents said they would vote for Oh, while Song's support rate stood 28.4 percent.
The race for the Gyeonggi governor post is expected to be a match between former Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon, on the DPK's ticket, who dropped out of the March 9 presidential race to endorse Lee, and the PPP's Kim Eun-hye.
Early polls indicate that the two are running neck-and-neck within the margin of error. In a survey by Korea Research conducted among 801 voters from May 7 to 8, 35.7 percent answered that they will likely support Kim of the DPK, while 36 percent said they should endorse the PPP's Kim.
Those poll results are available on the NEC website.
