'First-term vs. Re-elected' Gwangju City Council Chair Candidate Democratic Party Primary Kicks Off

Kang Suhoon, Park Sugi, Park Mijeong, Shin Sujeong, and Shim Cheol-ui Candidates' Declarations

First TV Debate Scheduled for Nationwide Metropolitan City and Provincial Council Chairperson Elections

The race to select the Democratic Party candidate for the 9th Gwangju Metropolitan Council's second half chairman election is accelerating.

Five council members, including first-term members with "spirit" and second-term members with "experience," have thrown their hats into the ring for the chairman candidate primary. Since the Democratic Party holds an absolute majority with 21 out of 23 council members in the Gwangju City Council, the Democratic Party candidate is highly likely to be elected as the chairman for the second half.

According to the Democratic Party Gwangju Metropolitan Council Chairman Election Management Committee on the 18th, applications for chairman, 1st and 2nd vice-chairmen, standing committee chairmen, and operations committee chairman candidates will be accepted simultaneously from the 19th to the 22nd. Candidates who lose the chairman election cannot run concurrently for standing committee chairman positions.

So far, the candidates who have announced their candidacy include first-term members Kang Su-hoon (Seo-gu 1) and Park Soo-gi (Gwangsan 5), and second-term members Park Mi-jung (Dong-gu 2), Shin Soo-jung (Buk-gu 3), and Shim Cheol-ui (Seo-gu 4).

This chairman election will feature the first-ever live TV debate among metropolitan city and provincial council chairman elections nationwide.

The Democratic Party primary, held on the 29th, will only include Democratic Party council members. If no candidate receives a majority in the first round, a runoff will be held between the top two candidates. If the runoff results in a tie, the winner will be decided based on seniority and length of service.

Applications for the main election candidates will be accepted from July 1 to 3, with the main election scheduled for July 8. It is known that Kim Yong-im, a member of the People Power Party, is considering running for chairman in the main election.