[22nd General Election Candidates] Gwangju Metropolitan City Seo-gu (Gap)

Song Gap-seok vs Kim Myung-jin Third Match... Attention on Democratic Party Primary Candidates Announcement

'Education Expert' Park Hye-ja and 'Economic Expert' Jo In-cheol Also Fully Campaigning

'Gwangju Single Seat Goal' People Power's Ha

Song Gap-seok, the only re-elected member of the National Assembly from the Gwangju area, is running for a third term in Seo-gu (Gap), which is considered the most notable electoral district in the region. Attention is focused on whether Song will secure a third term as a senior politician and establish himself as a representative political figure of the area, or whether a new, energetic first-term candidate will win the seat again.

Currently, six candidates have registered as preliminary candidates in Seo-gu (Gap) and are actively campaigning. Among them, four belong to the Democratic Party of Korea and are preparing for the primary election.

From the left, preliminary candidates Seungcheol Kang, Myungjin Kim, Hyeja Park, Gapseok Song, Incheol Jo, and Heonsik Ha. (in alphabetical order)

First, among the Democratic Party candidates, incumbent Song Gap-seok, along with preliminary candidates Kim Myung-jin, Park Hye-ja, and Jo In-cheol, are actively preparing for the primary. The Central Party’s Public Office Candidate Recommendation Management Committee has been announcing the primary candidate lists since the 6th, but five electoral districts, excluding Buk-gu (Gap and Eul) and Dong-gu Nam-gu (Gap and Eul), have not yet been announced, keeping the preliminary candidates on edge.

Song Gap-seok lost to former lawmaker Song Ki-seok in the 20th general election, which saw a green wave, but won the by-election held due to election law violations and entered the National Assembly. He then succeeded in his re-election in the 21st general election, becoming the only re-elected member from the Gwangju area.

He is praised for playing a significant role in resolving major local issues, earning the nickname "Gwangju’s Civil Affairs Chief." Notably, as a member of the National Defense Committee, he achieved the passage of the special law for relocating the Gwangju military airport, a long-standing project, and contributed to the permanent opening of the summit of Mudeungsan Mountain and the relocation plan of the Mudeungsan anti-aircraft artillery base, which are considered his representative achievements.

Preliminary candidate Kim Myung-jin is preparing for his third contest against Song. He has served as an administrative officer in the Presidential Secretariat under President Kim Dae-jung and as chief secretary to the floor leader Park Ji-won of the Democratic Party.

He ran in the 2018 by-election as a member of the Party for Democracy and Peace but lost to Democratic Party’s Song. He also ran in the 2020 21st general election as a candidate of the Minsaeng Party but was again defeated by Song, and is now seeking revenge in this election.

He is known for visiting traditional markets at least once a week to communicate with residents, gaining strong grassroots support, and is also active as a political commentator.

Park Hye-ja, a preliminary candidate who served as the 19th National Assembly member for Seo-gu (Gap), gained attention as the first female lawmaker from the Gwangju area in 12 years at the time. She served on the Education, Science and Technology Committee and was active in education-related initiatives, including proposing the Regional Balanced Talent Development Act during her tenure.

She officially declared her candidacy at the end of last year, pledging to "make Gwangju a land of opportunity," and is focusing on winning grassroots support.

Jo In-cheol, a preliminary candidate who passed the civil service exam and served as the Deputy Mayor for Culture and Economy of Gwangju City, declared his candidacy early and is actively campaigning. He has held positions such as administrative officer in the Presidential Secretariat, planning and coordination chief of the Ministry of Prime Minister’s Office’s Infant Education and Childcare Integration Promotion Team, and various roles in the Ministry of Strategy and Finance including general project cost management, cultural budget, and agriculture, forestry, and maritime budget divisions.

During his tenure as Deputy Mayor for Culture and Economy of Gwangju, he is credited with playing a major role in resolving key issues such as Gwangju Global Motors (GGM) and the creation of an AI-centered city.

From the People Power Party, which aims to elect at least one member from the Gwangju area, Ha Heon-sik, former chairman of the People Power Party’s Seo-gu (Eul) district committee, has thrown his hat into the ring. He is the first from the People Power Party in Gwangju to officially declare candidacy and is focusing on winning grassroots support.

At his candidacy announcement press conference, he said, “I will make sure our children are proud to be from Gwangju,” and pledged to dedicate his last youth to fostering communication in Gwangju.

From the Progressive Party, Kang Seung-chul, former secretary-general of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, has registered as a preliminary candidate. He serves as the head of the Secret Santa of Love Gwangju Headquarters Seo-gu branch, chair of the Gwangju Job Measures Committee for the Eco-friendly Vehicle Era (Progressive Party Gwangju City Party), and head of the Gwangju Bank Interest Rate Reduction Seo-gu Gap Movement Headquarters, engaging in various activities.