Kwon Youngguk No. 5, Hwang Kyoan No. 7... Non-Parliamentary Parties Prepare for Full Presidential Race

A Total of Four Candidates Registered
from Non-Parliamentary Parties

In the 21st presidential election, a total of four candidates from non-parliamentary parties registered, including Kwon Youngguk of the Democratic Labor Party and Hwang Kyoan, an independent candidate.

Kwon Youngguk, the Democratic Labor Party presidential candidate, is giving an interview to Asia Economy at an office in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 2nd. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

The candidates are as follows: Kwon Youngguk of the Democratic Labor Party with ballot number 5, Gu Juwa of the Free Unification Party with ballot number 6, Hwang Kyoan as ballot number 7, and Song Jin-ho, an independent, as ballot number 8. The declared assets were as follows: Kwon Youngguk reported 2,501,938,000 won, Gu Juwa reported 1,741,193,000 won, Hwang Kyoan reported 3,317,875,000 won, and Song Jin-ho reported 288,665,000 won. As for criminal records, Kwon Youngguk reported four cases, and Song Jin-ho reported seventeen cases.

Kwon Youngguk was selected by the Presidential Election Solidarity for Social Transformation, which is composed of the Justice Party, the Labor Party, the Green Party, and civil society organizations. The Justice Party secured eligibility to participate in TV debates by obtaining more than 3% in the proportional representation election for metropolitan councilors in the 2022 local elections. Kwon Youngguk is a former dismissed worker from Poongsan Metal who passed the bar exam in 1999 and has since been active in labor advocacy, including serving as legal counsel for the Ssangyong Motor mass layoff case. His main campaign pledges include electoral system reform, amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act, a citizen minimum income of 1 million won, and the introduction of a super-wealth tax on the top 0.1%.

Hwang Kyoan previously served as Minister of Justice and Prime Minister during the Park Geun-hye administration. He also served as leader of the Liberty Korea Party ahead of the 21st general election. Gu Juwa is a senior member of the Free Unification Party and an attorney at the law firm Between. Song Jin-ho is the president of the Dokdo Defense Association.