[General Election Battleground] Gwangju Seo-gu Eul, Why the Preliminary Matchup Is More Interesting Than the Main Election

⑨ Gwangju-Seogu Eul
Both Ruling and Opposition Parties Face New Lineup in Seogu Eul General Election Competition
Candidate Group: Yang Hyangja, Cheon Jeongbae, Kim Gyeongman, Lee Jeonghyeon, Kang Eunmi

Editor's NoteThe 22nd general election on April 10 next year is just over six months away. We explore the electoral landscape by visiting key battlegrounds across major regions nationwide. We analyze the country region by region, focusing on places where the ruling and opposition parties had close contests, where major candidates are running, or where internal party competition is fierce.

Based on the 21st general election, Gwangju Metropolitan City, which was allocated eight seats, is expected to hold the election again amid the Democratic Party's stronghold. In the 2020 general election, the Democratic Party won all eight seats.

The situation could change if a new party emerges that captures the Honam public sentiment, similar to the People's Party in the 2016 20th general election. However, if the election is held under the current party structure, it will be difficult for the ruling party to secure seats. Although the competition in Gwangju's general election seems likely to be uneventful, the story changes if we focus on the process rather than the election outcome.

From the ruling party's perspective, even if they fail to produce a winner, achieving a meaningful vote share itself is a political accomplishment. The Democratic Party, too, must prepare for the election with tension if it considers the 'quality of victory' linked to the vote share rather than just the number of winners. If the trend of independent candidates' strength in the Honam region, seen in past general elections, repeats, the Democratic Party could suffer a setback in Gwangju.

Yang Hyang-ja, CEO of Korea's Hope.

An interesting point is the candidate lineup by district in Gwangju. Perhaps the process of confirming who will run in which district and face off is more intriguing than the final results. In Gwangju, Seo-gu Eul district is a representative area of interest.

Gwangju Seo-gu Eul is currently the constituency of Representative Yang Hyang-ja, co-representative of Korea's Hope. She ran as the Democratic Party candidate in the 2020 21st general election and was elected with an overwhelming vote share of 75.8%. At that time, the United Future Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) did not field a candidate.

Candidate Cheon Jeong-bae of the Minsaeng Party received 19.5%, and Candidate Yoo Jong-cheon of the Justice Party received 3.1% of the votes.

Representative Yang Hyang-ja has shifted her party affiliation from the Democratic Party to Korea's Hope. Both ruling and opposition parties are expected to field new candidates in the Gwangju Seo-gu Eul election. The Democratic Party shows interest in the Seo-gu Eul race from both incumbent and former lawmakers.

The main figures are Representative Kim Kyung-man, a proportional representative, and former Honam representative politician Cheon Jeong-bae. Former Busan High Prosecutor General Yang Bu-nam, former Gwangju Mayor's political secretary Lee Nam-jae, and former co-representative of Participation Autonomy 21 Choi Hoe-yong are also mentioned as potential candidates for Seo-gu Eul. Whether the politically experienced former Representative Cheon Jeong-bae will actually run and, if so, whether he will receive the Democratic Party's nomination is a matter of interest.

For the People Power Party, attention is on whether Joo Ki-hwan, chairman of the Gwangju City Party Committee and close aide to President Yoon Seok-yeol, will run in Seo-gu Eul. There is also the possibility of former People Power Party Gwangju mayoral preliminary candidate Ha Heon-sik entering the race. If Representative Lee Jung-hyun, former leader of the Saenuri Party (predecessor of the People Power Party), runs in Gwangju, Seo-gu Eul could be a possible choice.

The Justice Party's Kang Eun-mi may run in the Seo-gu Eul district. Korea's Hope is expected to have its leader Yang Hyang-ja run in her own constituency, Seo-gu Eul, although the candidacy location has not been finalized.

Representative Kim Kyung-man, former Representative Cheon Jeong-bae, former Representative Lee Jung-hyun, Representative Kang Eun-mi, and Representative Yang Hyang-ja are all current or former members of the National Assembly mentioned as candidates for Gwangju Seo-gu Eul.

The nomination results of each party are expected to be a variable that determines not only the candidates themselves but also the political flow in the region after the general election. This is why the candidate lineup in Gwangju Seo-gu Eul may be more interesting than the final election results.