[22nd General Election Who's Running] Suncheon·Gwangyang·Gokseong·Gurye (Gap)

Incumbent Lawmaker So Byeong-cheol Leads as Democratic Party Primary Preparations in Full Swing

Lee Seong-su of Progressive Party, the Only Non-Democratic Camp, Also Ready

Former Unification Ministry Vice Minister Kim Hyeong-seok and Reform New Party's Cheon Ha-ram Also Mentioned

With about 60 days remaining until the 22nd general election, the Suncheon·Gwangyang·Gokseong·Gurye (Gap) electoral district features a group of candidates without a clear rival, leading to widespread predictions that incumbent National Assembly member So Byeong-cheol is likely to secure re-election as he has consistently dominated first place in opinion polls conducted by the three major broadcasters.

From the top left of the photo clockwise: preliminary candidates So Byeong-cheol, Kim Moon-su, Seo Gap-won, Lee Seong-su, Shin Seong-sik, Son Hun-mo.

So far, six individuals have registered as preliminary candidates with the Election Commission, five of whom belong to the Democratic Party of Korea and are preparing for the primary election.

Incumbent preliminary candidate So Byeong-cheol, despite being a first-term lawmaker, has been actively engaged in legislative activities comparable to those of multi-term lawmakers, notably with the 'Yeosu-Suncheon Incident Special Act' and the 'Suncheon Bay International Garden Expo Special Act,' earning a reputation as the so-called "Bull Worker" and expanding his support base.

In particular, as the floor leader of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, he has proposed the enactment of various livelihood bills and the 'South Coast Development Special Act' aimed at developing Suncheon as a central hub, presenting a plan to "make Suncheon soar."

Kim Moon-su, a preliminary candidate from Songgwang-myeon, revealed that he decided to run to revive the "Suncheon Democratic Party, Honam Democratic Party" as a special advisor to party leader Lee Jae-myung.

Preliminary candidate Son Hun-mo was the first to raise the issue of the 'waste incineration plant,' the biggest local issue in Suncheon, maintaining a strong stance that the project should be halted due to insufficient communication with citizens. He proposed attracting facilities befitting Suncheon's status and creating jobs for young people in Yeonhyang-dong as alternatives.

Candidate Shin Seong-sik, a former chief prosecutor, announced his candidacy with a book launch event for "The Real Prosecutor." However, he is currently under indictment for allegedly providing false information to the media related to the 'prosecutor-media collusion' case during his tenure as the 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Although he expressed his intention to resign last December, disciplinary procedures are ongoing, and his resignation has not yet been accepted.

Seo Gap-won, a former two-term National Assembly member from Suncheon, is campaigning across the region appealing for support to become a three-term lawmaker under the slogan "Greater Politics, Livable Suncheon."

The only preliminary candidate outside the Democratic camp, Lee Seong-su of the Progressive Party, is appealing for support with a determination to dedicate everything to creating a new Republic of Korea by calling for the impeachment and judgment of Yoon Seok-yeol's prosecutorial dictatorship.

Although not yet registered as a preliminary candidate, former Vice Minister of Unification Kim Hyeong-seok is reported to have applied for nomination as a People Power Party candidate with the central party. Additionally, Cheon Ha-ram, chairman of the Reform New Party's founding committee, is also reportedly considering running in Suncheon.

Suncheon = Lee Yeon-gyeong, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy hss79@asiae.co.kr