[General Election Candidates] ② Sixteen Star-Level Deputy Ministers Declare Candidacy... Senior Local Government Officials Also Join the Race (Comprehensive)

Deputy Ministers Step Up as Relief Pitchers

Editor's NoteWith the New Year 2024, the political landscape for the 22nd general election has officially opened. Although 97 days remain, public sentiment remains shrouded in uncertainty. Unexpected variables have emerged, such as the assault on Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. The ruling and opposition parties are rapidly moving into the candidate nomination phase. Voters are watching the nomination process closely to judge whether reform will take place. They assess the 'direction' and 'figures' that parties aim for. Political parties do not only innovate; sometimes they regress. Since this election is about choosing the nation's representatives for the next four years, it is crucial to scrutinize them carefully. We examine candidates by major sectors and generations in a series. ①Presidential Office ②Bureaucrats

In the upcoming April 10th 22nd National Assembly election, a large number of ‘star-level ministers and vice ministers’ with both competence and star power, as well as ‘former and current high-ranking local government officials,’ will run for office.

In every administration, the move of ministers and vice ministers to run in general elections has been a common occurrence. There is a reason for this. First, ministers gain high recognition due to frequent media exposure while in office. Also, having served as high-ranking officials, they are regarded as stable and highly capable in policy matters. Moreover, they can present a fresh image to the public. Additionally, the fact that ministers are lining up to run in the Yoon Seok-yeol administration reflects how this election is a turning point that will determine the fate of the regime. The ruling party aims to overcome the current minority status by fielding top-tier bureaucrats. This is why the term ‘general mobilization order’ is being used. For example, all six ministers replaced by President Yoon on the 4th of last month are preparing to run in the election.

The Barometer of Metropolitan Voter Sentiment: Clash in Suwon City

First, Bang Beom-gyu, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, is expected to throw his hat into the ring in Suwon, a tough district dominated by the opposition party. Minister Bang will hold a farewell ceremony at the Government Sejong Complex at 5 p.m. on the day. He was appointed minister on September 20 last year after a confirmation hearing but was replaced after the shortest period in history of 2 months and 28 days. Currently, Suwon City, with a population of 1.2 million, is entirely held by the Democratic Party of Korea across all five constituencies (Gap, Eul, Byeong, Jeong, Mu). The ruling People Power Party is rolling up its sleeves to recruit former Minister Bang, a native of Suwon, making his candidacy for Suwon Byeong highly likely. The atmosphere is already heating up as the People Power Party aims to reclaim the district with him at the forefront.

Jeong Hwang-geun, former Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, registered as a preliminary candidate on the 29th of last month to run in his hometown of Cheonan, Chungnam. This area is considered a stronghold of the Democratic Party in Chungnam. A fierce contest is expected as independent lawmaker Park Wan-joo, who left the Democratic Party, and former Chungnam Governor Yang Seung-jo are rumored to be running here.

Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho is seeking a third term in his home constituency of Dalseong, Daegu. Former Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-hwan is running in his hometown of Busan. Attention is also on where former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong will run. If Won runs in Incheon Gyeyang-eul, the constituency of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, it is analyzed that this could effectively tie Lee to his district.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin is also joining the race. A ‘four-term veteran lawmaker,’ Minister Park served three consecutive terms in Jongno from the 16th to 18th National Assembly and currently represents Gangnam-eul in the 21st National Assembly. Former Minister of SMEs and Startups Lee Young also announced plans to run in a Democratic Party-held district in Seoul, and former Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik is preparing to run in Yeongdeungpo-eul, Seoul.

Showdown Between Former and Current High-Ranking Local Government Officials

A fierce contest between former and current high-ranking local government officials with rich administrative experience is another point to watch. Kim Ui-seung, former First Deputy Mayor of Seoul, known as a key member of the ‘Oh Se-hoon faction,’ is running in his hometown of Andong-Yecheon, Gyeongbuk. Kim, who retired on the 27th of last month, is an administrative expert who has served as Seoul City spokesperson, head of economic policy, and director of planning and coordination. He will compete against People Power Party lawmaker Kim Hyung-dong and former provincial assembly member Kim Myung-ho, who represent this district.

Former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor Yeom Tae-young has declared his candidacy in Suwon Mu district, Gyeonggi Province. Yeom is a three-term former mayor of Suwon. He held a farewell ceremony on the 22nd of last month and applied to rejoin the Democratic Party on the 26th. Suwon City is a representative stronghold of the Democratic Party, having swept all five constituencies (Gap, Eul, Byeong, Jeong, Mu) in the 21st general election. The competition within the party is fierce. Especially, Suwon Mu has become an open seat as Kim Jin-pyo, the Speaker of the National Assembly who served five terms, is not running, making it the biggest battleground among the province’s constituencies. Yeom is expected to face off against Lee Byung-jin, acting chairman of the Democratic Party’s Suwon Mu district committee, and Park Jae-soon, chairman of the People Power Party’s Suwon Mu district committee.

In Gyeonggi Province, former Mayor of Namyangju Jo Gwang-han, who was the first talent recruit of the People Power Party in September last year, is running in Namyangju Byeong. Jo served as an administrative officer in the Blue House’s Political Affairs Office during the Kim Dae-jung administration and as Public Relations Planning Secretary during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. He gained attention by opposing Lee Jae-myung, the governor of Gyeonggi Province, during his mayoral tenure.

In Seo-gu Eul, Daejeon, a competition between former and current vice mayors affiliated with the People Power Party challenging Democratic Party lawmaker Park Beom-gye, who is likely to seek a fourth term, is drawing attention. Former Administrative Vice Mayor Lee Taek-gu of the 8th local government and former Political Vice Mayor Yang Hong-gyu of the 4th local government both registered as preliminary candidates on the 12th of last month. Lee, regarded as an urban planning expert, is recently noted for his prominence in policy development. Yang plans to focus on regional-centered politics rather than politics centered on the metropolitan area. Former Vice Mayor of Gimhae Kim Seok-ki retired after 31 years of public service on the 21st of last month and declared his candidacy for Seongsan District, Changwon, Gyeongnam.

Former mayors have also declared their candidacies. Kwak Sang-wook, who served as mayor of Osan, Gyeonggi Province for 12 years (2010?2022), plans to hold a book launch event on the 6th and officially announce his candidacy as a Democratic Party candidate. Former Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin of the People Power Party has completed preliminary candidate registration to run in Dalseo-gu Byeong, Daegu. He served as Seoul City Political Vice Mayor and as the 33rd and 34th mayor of Daegu. Former Mayor of Miryang Park Il-ho recently retired and registered as a preliminary candidate for the ‘Miryang, Uiryeong, Haman, Changnyeong’ region under the People Power Party.

The political sphere is showing expectations for a major personnel innovation through the candidacies of former and current high-ranking local government officials with rich administrative experience. Civil servants intending to run for the National Assembly must resign by the 11th of this month, 90 days before the election.

Full-Scale Sprint for Election Victory, Criticism of Neglecting State Affairs

The rush of vice ministers running for office follows that of ministers. Among the six vice ministers replaced on the 27th of last month, four have also declared their candidacies. Former 2nd Vice Minister of Economy and Finance Kim Wan-seop is running in Wonju Eul, Gangwon; former 1st Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Oh-jin is running in his hometown Daegu Dalseo Gap; former Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Park Seong-hoon, who previously served as Busan’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs and as Secretary for State Affairs Planning in the Presidential Office, is likely to run in Busan Haeundae Gap. Former Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office Park Seong-geun is preparing to run in Busan Jung-Yeongdo. Former Vice Minister of National Defense Shin Beom-cheol is expected to run in Cheonan Gap, Chungnam; former Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety Han Chang-seop in Sangju-Mungyeong, Gyeongbuk; former Vice Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Yoon Jong-jin in Pohang Buk, Gyeongbuk. Former Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family Lee Gi-soon is preparing to run in the Chungcheong and Sejong areas. The deadline for resignation from public office to run as a candidate is the 11th of this month.

The successive declarations of candidacy by ministers and vice ministers are interpreted as President Yoon’s all-out sprint for election victory, but there are also many critical views of this approach. Some of the vice ministers appointed on the 27th of last month have served less than six months. With ministers who have served as briefly as about two months being drafted into the election, there are criticisms that state affairs are being neglected.

Professor Lee Jun-han of the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Incheon National University said, “The move of bureaucrats to run in elections has the advantage of utilizing diverse government experience in the legislature. However, in a situation where high interest rates and high prices threaten the stability of people’s livelihoods and urgent national issues are piling up, it can instill a negative perception among the public that elections take precedence over state affairs,” adding, “It is difficult to escape criticism that public office was used for personal career building or election purposes.”

Concerns are also raised that the wave of star-level ministers running for office could be a ‘double-edged sword.’ Professor Lee Pil-sang, a special professor at Seoul National University, said, “It is a situation where all means and methods are being mobilized to win the election at any cost,” warning, “There is a risk that populist policies may run rampant or that policies including economic ones may take on a political character. Urgently needed reforms may be sidelined, causing significant side effects.”