The stakes in the June elections have grown.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea wrapped up its candidate selection for key municipalities Saturday, with the results meaning at least 14 parliamentary seats to be contested in by-elections.
In the party's latest round of selections, Rep. Wi Seong-gon was chosen as its candidate for Jeju governor, joining lawmakers including Reps. Choo Mi-ae, Chun Jae-soo, Kim Sang-wook, Lee Won-taeg, Min Hyung-bae, Park Chan-dae and Park Soo-hyun.
Their departure from the National Assembly will reduce the number of Democratic Party lawmakers to 152; local election candidates must leave their parliamentary posts a month before the election to be eligible to run.
For example, six-term lawmaker Choo's run for Gyeonggi Province governor means vacating her Assembly seat representing the Hanam-A constituency in Gyeonggi Province.
Busan mayor candidate Chun represents the Busan Buk-A constituency; Ulsan mayor candidate Kim the Ulsan Nam-A district; North Jeolla Province governor candidate Lee represents the Gunsan, Gimje and Buan-B district.
Gwangju megacity mayoral candidate Min's Gwangsan-B constituency in Gwangju, Park Chan-dae's Yeonsu-A district in Incheon, Park Soo-hyun's constituency spanning across Gongju, Buyeo-gun and Cheongyang-gun in South Chungcheong Province and Wi's Seoguipo constituency will also be contested in by-elections.
Half of all Democratic Party candidates for 16 key municipalities are incumbent lawmakers.
The only requirement needed to put the outgoing lawmakers' seats up for by-election is that they quit their parliamentary post before the end of April. Resigning between May 1 and May 4 will allow the lawmaker to run for the election but the by-election will not be held in June.
Democratic Party Chair Jung Chung-rae played down the chances of having lawmakers leave the National Assembly in early May to prevent by-elections from taking place in June. Responding to speculations that the ruling party may strategically delay the process of some of its lawmakers' departure from the National Assembly, Jung told reporters Friday that his party would "not play tricks."
The major conservative People Power Party's ongoing candidate selection process suggests that one of its lawmakers is certain to run in the Daegu mayoral election.
Vying for the People Power Party's candidacy for the mayor post in the right-wing stronghold of Daegu are Reps. Yoo Yeong-ha and Choo Kyung-ho, as the party narrowed down the contenders to two on Friday. This means either Yoo or Choo will be confirmed as the People Power Party candidate and must quit their lawmaker post.
That would bring the number of outgoing lawmakers ahead of the local election to nine, but it could be more.
Rep. Joo Ho-young, a six-term lawmaker of the People Power Party who has challenged the party's decision to drop him from the Daegu mayoral race, could quit the party and his parliamentary post to run in the election as an independent candidate.
As well as the nine set to leave the National Assembly, South Korea already had five vacancies in thelegislature as of Sunday.
Two seats were given up in June last year as Lee Jae Myung, then a Democratic Party lawmaker representing Gyeyang-B of Incheon, was elected president. Lee soon named three-term lawmaker Kang Hoon-sik from Asan-B of South Chungcheong Province as his chief of staff.
Ansan-A and Pyeongtaek-B of Gyeonggi Province, as well as Gunsan, Gimje and Buan-A of North Jeolla Province, also remain vacated after the Supreme Court rulings deprived three Democratic Party lawmakers of their parliamentary seats through this year.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
