Jeonju-eul By-election, Progressive Party's Kang Seong-hee Elected... Ulsan Superintendent of Education Jeon Chang-su Confirmed Elected

Progressive Party Enters Legislature for the First Time
Changnyeong County Governor Election Remains Uncertain Despite 90% Vote Count

In the Jeonju-eul electoral district, which was the only constituency to elect a member of the National Assembly in the April 5 by-elections, Kang Seong-hee of the Progressive Party was elected. With this victory, the Progressive Party secured its first seat in the 21st National Assembly.

In the by-election held on the 5th, Kang received 39.1% of the vote, defeating independent candidate Lim Jeong-yeop, who garnered 32.1%. Jeonju-eul is traditionally considered a stronghold of the Democratic Party of Korea, but since former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik was forced to re-contest due to violations of the Public Official Election Act, the Democratic Party did not field a candidate in this district.

Kang is a former labor union official who worked for 18 years at Hyundai Motor’s Jeonju plant and recently served as the secretary-general of the Jeonbuk branch of the National Courier Union.

The Progressive Party, successor to the Unified Progressive Party which was dissolved as an unconstitutional party during the Park Geun-hye administration, was re-established as the Minjung Party in 2017 and renamed the Progressive Party in 2020. In last year’s local elections, it performed well, winning the Ulsan Dong-gu mayoralty with Kim Jong-hoon, securing three metropolitan council seats, and 17 local council seats, outperforming the Justice Party, the third-largest party in the National Assembly, which won two metropolitan and seven local council seats.

Jinbo Party candidate Kang Seong-hee, who was elected in the Jeonju-eul by-election for the 4.5 by-elections, is raising both arms. From the left, Oh Eun-mi, Jeonbuk Provincial Assembly member, Yoon Hee-sook, Jinbo Party standing representative, candidate Kang, and spouse Park Soo-kyung.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The People Power Party candidate Kim Kyung-min, who attracted attention, received only 8.0% (3,561 votes), placing fifth behind Ahn Hae-wook (10.1%) and Kim Ho-seo (9.2%). With the Democratic Party not fielding a candidate, the People Power Party’s attempt to penetrate the Honam region only confirmed the high barriers they face.

The Jeonju-eul election was generally held amid voter apathy. The turnout was only 26.8%.

In the Ulsan superintendent of education election, where a progressive and a conservative candidate faced off, candidate Cheon Chang-soo has taken a commanding lead over Kim Ju-hong, effectively securing victory.

Progressive-leaning Cheon recorded 63.1% of the vote, leading Kim who received 36.9%. This is based on 86.3% of votes counted.

This Ulsan superintendent election was held following the sudden passing of Superintendent No Ok-hee. The winning candidate Cheon is also the husband of the late Superintendent No. Among the April 5 by-elections, the Ulsan superintendent election had the largest number of voters, but the turnout remained low at 26.5%.

The Changnyeong county mayoral by-election, triggered by the tragic death of former mayor Kim Bu-young, is still too close to call despite 90% of votes being counted.

Cheon Chang-su, candidate for the Ulsan City Superintendent of Education by-election, is cheering with a flower necklace around his neck as his victory becomes certain at his campaign office in Nam-gu, Ulsan City, on the morning of the 6th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Currently, independent candidate Seong Nak-in leads with 23.3%, followed closely by independent candidate Park Sang-je at 22.0%. Independent candidate Han Jeong-woo is in third place with 20.4%.

Kim, the former mayor, was on trial for violations of the Public Official Election Act, and as a result, the People Power Party did not nominate a candidate for this election. Many candidates who previously held People Power Party membership ran as independents after leaving the party. Although there was speculation that the Democratic Party candidate might perform well, regionalism remained a significant barrier. Democratic candidate Seong Ki-wook is currently in fifth place among seven candidates with 10.9%.

In Changnyeong, Gyeongnam, where a new local government head is being elected, the voter turnout was 57.5%.