Employees of the National Election Commission`s branch in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday examine posters to be used for the upcoming local elections scheduled for June 1. At least five constituencies will be up for grabs at the parliamentary by-elections to be held on the sidelines of the local elections. (Yonhap)
A miniscule version of the parliamentary elections will be held in June on the sidelines of local elections, as incumbent legislators are to give up their lawmaker seats to run for local administration posts.
At least five constituencies are to be up for grabs in the by-elections slated for June 1, and as many as 10 legislative seats are expected to be available for new figures to take over. The opening hints at the possible return of key heavyweights to the main stage and a change in political dynamics.
Four legislators with the People Power Party are slated to leave the parliament soon after successfully passing primaries, to bear the conservative party’s flag in the upcoming local elections.
Rep. Kim Eun-hye beat former Rep. Yoo Seong-min to represent the party as a candidate for the Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial post, making her constituency in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province up for grabs in the by-elections.
A constituency in Daegu will be open for by-elections on the same date, as Rep. Hong Joon-pyo was declared the party’s flagbearer for the Daegu mayoral election. Rep. Kim Tae-heum is slated to run for the South Chungcheong Province gubernatorial post, and Rep. Park Wan-su is representing the party as a possible candidate for the new governor of South Gyeongsang Province.
From the People Power Party’s main rival, the Democratic Party of Korea, Rep. Lee Kwang-jae has been declared the candidate to run for the Gangwon Province governor seat, opening up his constituency in Wonju, Gangwon Province, for a new legislator.
While just five seats are finalized to be up for grabs on June 1, more legislative seats could be open from constituencies that the Democratic Party controls, as the party has yet to finalize primaries for some mayoral and gubernatorial posts.
Reps. Song Young-gil and Park Ju-min have announced their bids to run in the Seoul mayoral election and are scheduled to undergo primaries. Reps. An Min-suk and Cho Jeong-sik are competing to bear the party’s flag for the Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial post.
For the North Jeolla Province gubernatorial election, Rep. An Ho-young is competing in the Democratic Party’s primaries. Meanwhile, Rep. Oh Young-hun is competing in the primaries for the Jeju Province gubernatorial post.
If legislators win the primaries for these four mayoral and gubernatorial posts, four additional seats would be up for grabs in the by-elections. That means a total of nine legislative seats could be available for new figures to take over.
One more legislative seat could open depending on the top court ruling expected this month on Rep. Lee Sang-jik, an independent lawmaker who has been standing trials for embezzlement charges.
The slew of possible openings hints the potential reentrance of key political figures to the main stage.
For the Seongnam constituency by-elections, the People Power Party is speculated to nominate Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s transition team. Ahn’s IT security firm AhnLab is based in the city, giving Ahn a cause to try returning to the parliament.
Former Rep. Park Min-sik and Seongnam City Council member Lee Ki-in are also touted as potential candidates for the legislative seat.
The Democratic Party is expected to nominate former Rep. Kim Byoung-gwan for the post, but eyes are centered whether former Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, who bore the liberal party’s flag in the last presidential election, will return from the shadows.
After suffering a close defeat in the 20th presidential election, Lee Jae-myung has maintained sizable political clout thanks to loyal supporters. Many have speculated that he would run to serve as the new chairman of the Democratic Party in August, which is when the liberal party is slated to hold its nationwide convention.
Some have speculated that Lee Jae-myung’s possible return depends on what Ahn decides to pursue for the by-elections. There are also speculations that Lee could run for other constituencies as needed.
By Ko Jun-tae (
ko.juntae@heraldcorp.com)