[22nd General Election Candidates] Gwangju Metropolitan City Dong-gu·Nam-gu (Gap)

Democratic Party Primary Candidate List Announced... Incumbents vs Challengers 1:1 Matchup

No Hyung-wook and Oh Kyung-hoon Appeal Cutoff, Request Reconsideration from Central Party

People Power Party Kang Hyun-gu Registered... Green Justice

Gwangju Metropolitan City Dong-gu Nam-gu (Gap) is one of the areas where the Democratic Party of Korea's Central Party Public Office Candidate Recommendation Management Committee announced the results of the primary candidate screening. Initially, four candidates, including the incumbent lawmaker, registered as preliminary candidates for the Democratic Party nomination, but two were cut off, leaving two final primary candidates, revealing the outline of the matchups.

The Democratic Party candidates for Gwangju Dong-gu Nam-gu (Gap) are incumbent lawmaker Yoon Young-deok, who is seeking re-election, and Jeong Jin-wook, the special political advisor to the party leader, who will compete in the primary to determine the winner.

However, former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Noh Hyung-wook and Oh Kyung-hoon, director of Lee Jae-myung's Basic Society Research Institute, have filed for a reconsideration with the central party in protest of their cutoffs, so the results of the reconsideration must also be observed.

In particular, since this region has seen the most upsets in past elections, there is analysis that the final nomination outcome and the general election matchup could change.

From the left, Kang Hyun-gu, Moon Jung-eun, Yoon Young-duk, Jeong Jin-wook preliminary candidates

Yoon, who is running in the two-person primary, is seeking re-election. Yoon Young-deok, who serves as the floor spokesperson, is a former student council president of Chosun University and entered the National Assembly by creating an upset in the 21st general election Democratic Party primary by defeating former Nam-gu Mayor Choi Young-ho, based on his experience in civil society movements and as an administrator in the Blue House's Office of Civil Affairs.

He is evaluated as having built a broad 'legislative spectrum' through various standing committees such as education, operations, and political affairs. He also highlights his achievements in resolving the relocation of the transmission tower in Jinwol-dong and establishing the Nam-gu Bandabi Sports Center as strengths in his re-election bid.

Jeong Jin-wook, a former economic daily journalist and special political advisor, is considered a representative pro-Lee Jae-myung faction (pro-Myung) figure and an 'economic expert.' He has also served as spokesperson for Lee Jae-myung, the party leader, four times in the past two years and participated in a 16-day solidarity hunger strike with Lee Jae-myung. After losing in the 2016 general election, Jeong opened the 'Jeong Jin-wook Gwangju Future Research Institute' and has been establishing his local presence early on.

Jeong has led the forum 'Gwangju Sesang' to present new political hopes and visions for Gwangju, and there are voices that his organizational strength is solid as many current and former local councilors and prospective Nam-gu mayor candidates have flocked to his campaign. Recently, he received an exemption from penalty deductions related to past party withdrawal from the Democratic Party's Supreme Council, and despite criticism of 'pro-Myung faction favoritism,' it is evaluated that the penalty he had has disappeared.

On the People Power Party side, Kang Hyun-gu, former chairman of the Gwangju Architects Association of the Korea Institute of Architects, has completed candidate registration. He currently serves as the vice-chairman of the Gwangju branch of the National Unification Advisory Council. Kang ran for Nam-gu mayor in the 8th local elections held on June 1, 2022, gaining a notable 15.93% of the vote, making his presence known.

From the Green Justice Party, an electoral alliance party of the Justice Party and the Green Party, Moon Jeong-eun, chairperson of the Gwangju City Party Committee, is expected to run against the Democratic Party. At only 37 years old, not yet forty, she is the youngest ever chairperson of a metropolitan city party committee in the Justice Party's history and has held party positions such as spokesperson and party leader's secretary general, as well as running in four public elections.

Gwangju Dong-gu Nam-gu Gap electoral district includes Jinwol-dong, Nodae-dong, Hyodeok-dong, Songam-dong, Daechon-dong, Wolsan-dong, Bongseon-dong, and Juwol-dong.