Heated Daegu Mayoral Election... Hong Joon-pyo and Kim Jae-won Face Off with 'Penalties'

Daegu Emerges as a Hotspot, Showdown Between Hong and Kim Anticipated
Gyeonggi Sees Presidential Contenders Like Yoo Seung-min and Kim Dong-yeon Rising

Hong Joon-pyo, People Power Party lawmaker (from the left), Kim Jae-won, People Power Party Supreme Council member, Kwon Young-jin, Mayor of Daegu, Hong Eui-rak, former lawmaker

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] With the local elections just 70 days away, competitive dynamics are intensifying across various regions. The Daegu mayoral race has heated up early as two candidates, Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, and Kim Jae-won, a Supreme Council member, face off. The Gyeonggi Province governor election, which has emerged as a ‘barometer’ following the presidential election, is also drawing attention as many candidates of presidential contender caliber are being considered.

On the 23rd, Supreme Council member Kim appeared on TBS Radio and stated, "Starting today, I will register as a preliminary candidate for the Daegu mayoral election and actively campaign as a candidate." Following Hong, who announced his intention to run for Daegu mayor via social media on the 16th, Kim’s challenge has turned Daegu into a battleground. Additionally, current Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin has hinted at seeking a third term, and former Daejeon MBC president Lee Jin-sook has already registered as a preliminary candidate. From the Democratic Party, former two-term lawmaker Hong Ui-rak is reportedly considering running after receiving an invitation.

On the same day, Hong and Kim clashed head-on over the penalty rules for local election nominations. On the 21st, the Supreme Council held a meeting and decided to apply a 15% penalty for candidates who have run as independents within the past five years and a 10% penalty for incumbent lawmakers in local election nominations. Hong, who is likely to face a combined 25% penalty for both cases, immediately opposed the decision. The day before, he said, "At a time when we should be fully committed to the local elections, incumbent lawmakers are being barred from running? Are local elections just a party for those who lost in the general elections?" He targeted Supreme Council member Kim, who attended the meeting, saying, "Where in the world would a player accept a referee setting rules favorable to themselves and then playing as a player?"

In response, Kim denied the suspicion that the penalty rule was created to exclude Hong, saying on the radio, "It is true that Hong falls under the rule, but there are thousands of people nationwide applying for nominations now." Regarding Lee Jun-seok’s statement that he opposed the rule, Kim shifted responsibility, saying, "(Lee) brought a draft that included a 25% deduction for those who left the party, 25% for those with disciplinary records, and 15% for those with disciplinary records involving suspension or higher," and added, "I just suggested unifying it to 15%."

Hong maintained his refusal to accept the rule in a phone call that day, saying, "My position is the same as what I posted on social media." As the controversy grew, Lee Jun-seok and Supreme Council member Jung Mi-kyung left room for discussion, stating, "The Nomination Management Committee can discuss it once more." Accordingly, the decision of the Nomination Management Committee, which will hold its first meeting on the 24th, is expected to be crucial.

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province, which emerged as the fiercest battleground between the ruling and opposition parties in the recent presidential election, is showing signs of overheating. It is a massive electoral district with 1.4 million voters, accounting for a quarter of the total population, and is the base that supported Democratic Party’s senior advisor Lee Jae-myung. As a result, candidates of presidential contender level are expected to enter the race. On the ruling party side, Kim Dong-yeon, leader of the New Wave party, is highly likely to run. Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min of the People Power Party is considering running and is expected to make a decision as early as this week. Alongside him, former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong, who ran in the last presidential primary, is also mentioned as a candidate. Those who have declared their candidacy for Gyeonggi governor include former Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young of the Democratic Party and former National Assembly Deputy Speaker Shim Jae-chul, as well as former lawmakers Kim Young-hwan and Ham Jin-kyu of the People Power Party.