'Surveillance, Checks, and Balances': First-Term Councilors Focused on Gwangju City Council Chairperson Election

Candidate Registration of Kang Suhoon, Park Mijeong, Park Sugi, Shin Sujeong, and Shim Cheol

High Expectation of Runoff Between First-Term Lawmakers Kang Suhoon and Park Sugi

Focus on 'Pro-Kang vs. Anti-Kang' Frame Amid Early Legislative Session Evaluation

As the 9th Gwangju Metropolitan City Council prepares to elect its chairperson, who will lead the council and take the forefront in monitoring and checking the Gwangju city administration, the Democratic Party primary election is becoming intense.

While the Democratic Party primaries usually narrow down to 2-3 candidates, this time five candidates have registered, with attention focused on two first-term council members.

According to the Democratic Party Gwangju Metropolitan City Branch on the 25th, five candidates registered for the chairperson primary election, which closed on the 21st: 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).

First-term council members running for the 9th Gwangju Metropolitan City Council's second half chairman election (from left in the photo: Kang Suhoon, Park Sugi)

Before candidate registration, public opinion suggested that one second-term member held a favorable position and that the rise of first-term members was noteworthy, but now the consensus is that the two first-term members will likely advance to the runoff.

The primary election, involving only Democratic Party members, is scheduled for the 29th. If no candidate receives a majority in the first round, a runoff will be held between the top two candidates. In the event of a tie in the runoff, the decision will be made based on seniority and number of terms served.

With five candidates, it is realistically difficult for any one candidate to secure a majority, and the prevailing view is that the first and second place candidates advancing to the runoff will be the two first-term members.

The candidates Kang Su-hoon and Park Soo-gi, running for chairperson, have been evaluated as having demonstrated presence and prominence comparable to multi-term members. Both are praised for combining the fresh ideas of first-term members with the seasoned experience typical of multi-term members.

Local political figures predict that the 9th Gwangju City Council’s second half chairperson election will serve as an evaluation of whether the first half council properly fulfilled its fundamental roles of monitoring, checking, and balancing the Kang Ki-jung administration (city executive branch).

One local political figure commented, "Since this is an important election to select a chairperson who will play the role of monitoring, checking, and balancing the Gwangju city administration, it is too early to make a hasty judgment, but given the current social atmosphere favoring fresh faces, I think the competition will be between the two first-term members."

Given this situation, among the various frames surrounding the Democratic Party primary, the 'Pro-Kang (Pro Mayor Kang Ki-jung) vs. Anti-Kang' frame is attracting attention. This frame is also related to the upcoming 2026 Gwangju mayoral election.

Some public opinion classifies Kang Su-hoon as part of the 'Kang Ki-jung faction,' while Park Soo-gi is known to be affiliated with the Min Hyung-bae group, which is expected to challenge for the next Gwangju mayoral election.

Kang Su-hoon, who was part of the chairperson group in the first half of the Gwangju City Council (Chair of the Steering Committee), carries the risk of being judged based on the evaluation of the first half council, which is a key issue in this election. Park Soo-gi, who declared candidacy for the chairperson election the latest, is pointed out as having the disadvantage of relatively less preparation time.

If a first-term member is elected as the chairperson for the second half of the 9th Gwangju City Council, it will be the third time a first-term chairperson has been elected, following Oh Ju in the second term and Yoon Bong-geun in the sixth term.

Meanwhile, the chairperson candidates will participate in a live broadcast debate on Gwangju MBC from 11:30 PM for 90 minutes. This is the first-ever TV debate for city and provincial council chairperson elections nationwide.