The grand journey toward the 22nd general election began on the 12th with the registration of preliminary candidates. Candidates aiming for the gold badge in the general election on April 10 next year, along with each political party, will continue intense campaigning activities to capture voters' support for about four months.
On the morning of the 12th, when the registration for preliminary candidates for the 22nd National Assembly election began, officials were working at the Jongno District Election Commission in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
The National Election Commission started accepting preliminary candidate registration applications from 9 a.m. on this day, 120 days before the election. From the first day, hopeful candidates, including incumbent lawmakers, lined up to register as preliminary candidates.
According to the Election Commission's election statistics system, as of 6 p.m. on the same day, a total of 422 people had registered as preliminary candidates.
From the People Power Party, Representative Choi Seung-jae (proportional representation) registered as a preliminary candidate for Seoul Mapo-gap, Ham Kyung-woo, Deputy Head of Organization, for Gyeonggi Gwangju-gap, former Representative Kim Hyun-ah for Gyeonggi Goyang-jeong, former Representative Min Hyun-joo for Incheon Yeonsu-eul, and Kang Sa-bin, full-time deputy spokesperson, for Daegu Jung-gu and Nam-gu.
Former six-term lawmaker Lee In-je also declared his candidacy in Nonsan, Chungnam, and registered as a preliminary candidate (Nonsan-si, Gyeryong-si, Geumsan-gun) on the same day.
From the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's presidential office, former Second Deputy Director of the National Security Office Lim Jong-deuk (Yeongju, Yeongyang, Bonghwa, Uljin), former deputy spokesperson Kim Ki-heung (Incheon Yeonsu-eul), and former Secretary for National Proposals Heo Seong-woo (Gumi-eul) registered as preliminary candidates.
From the Democratic Party, Representative Choi In-ho, who holds a constituency in Busan Saha-gap, was the first among the Democratic Party's incumbent lawmakers in Busan to complete preliminary candidate registration, and former 19th National Assembly member Kim Hyun registered as a preliminary candidate for Gyeonggi Ansan Danwon-e.
Former Seoul Yeongdeungpo District Mayor Chae Hyun-il declared his candidacy in Yeongdeungpo-gap, and former Executive Director of the Gyeonggi Economic Science Promotion Agency Lim Geun-jae announced his candidacy in Gyeonggi Uijeongbu-eul.
Ye Young-guk, former 20th National Assembly member and chairman of the Justice Party's Changwon Seongsan-gu regional committee, registered as a preliminary candidate in Changwon Seongsan.
Along with the preliminary candidate registration, candidacy declarations poured in nationwide. The day before, at the National Assembly, Kim In-gyu, former presidential office administrator and grandson of the late President Kim Young-sam (YS), declared his intention to run as a People Power Party candidate in Busan Seo-gu and Dong-gu, YS's former constituency, and lawyer Kwak Sang-eon, son-in-law of the late President Roh Moo-hyun, expressed his intention to run as a Democratic Party candidate in Seoul Jongno.
In Gyeonggi, People Power Party proportional representative Lee Tae-gyu held an opening ceremony for his election office in Yeoju-Yangpyeong.
In Busan, former KBS reporter Lee Young-pung challenged for Seo-gu and Dong-gu as a People Power Party candidate, and former acting mayor of Busan Byun Seong-wan ran for Buk-Gangseo-eul as a Democratic Party candidate.
In Daegu, People Power Party Innovation Committee member Jeong Hae-yong declared his candidacy for Dong-gu-gap, and former Daegu Dong-gu District Mayor Lee Jae-man announced his candidacy for Dong-gu-eul.
Jeong Jin-wook, special political advisor to the Democratic Party leader, declared his candidacy for Gwangju Dongnam-gap, and former Kimje Mayor Park Jun-bae declared his candidacy for Jeonbuk Kimje-Buan.
However, the redistricting of National Assembly constituencies was not completed by the preliminary candidate registration deadline.
Meanwhile, preliminary candidate registration is possible until the candidate registration application. The candidate registration application period is from March 21 to 22 next year, during which the 'matchups' between ruling and opposition parties by constituency will be finalized. After candidate registration ends, the official election period begins on March 28, and the voter list is finalized on March 29. Subsequently, shipboard voting will take place from April 2 to 5, early voting from April 5 to 6, followed by the main voting and vote counting on April 10.
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