Asan Politicians Weigh Options Between Next Year's Mayoral and Parliamentary By-Elections

Democratic Party's Oh Sehyun and Former Council Chair Kim Heeyoung Consider Mayoral Bid
An Jangheon and Kim Youngkwon Mentioned as Potential Candidates for Mayor and Parliament
People Power Party's Jeon Mankwon Discussed as Candidate for Both Mayor and Parliament

With the 9th nationwide local elections scheduled for June 3 next year, prominent politicians in the Asan region are deliberating whether to run for mayor or for the parliamentary by-election.

The by-election is being held because Kang Hoonshik, a Democratic Party lawmaker representing the Asan-eul constituency, was appointed as Chief Presidential Secretary.

Within the Democratic Party, current Mayor Oh Sehyun, who is seeking a third term, and former Asan City Council Chair Kim Heeyoung are being discussed as mayoral candidates. In addition, Chungnam Provincial Council member An Jangheon and former council member Kim Youngkwon are being mentioned as potential candidates for both the mayoral and parliamentary races.

Mayor Oh Sehyun won the by-election held on April 2, after former Mayor Park Kyunggui of the People Power Party was disqualified due to a violation of the Public Official Election Act. Oh Sehyun received 66,034 votes (57.52%), defeating People Power Party candidate Jeon Mankwon, who received 45,831 votes (39.92%), by a margin of 20,203 votes (17.6 percentage points).

Kim Heeyoung, the former council chair, had expressed her intention to run in the by-election but withdrew her bid due to the Democratic Party's guideline restricting incumbent lawmakers from running in by-elections and re-elections. She is now preparing to make another attempt.

An Jangheon, who also did not run for the same reason, and Kim Youngkwon, who lost in the party primary, have expressed a cautious stance.

An Jangheon said, "It has only been about a week since Kang Hoonshik was appointed as Chief Presidential Secretary," and emphasized, "Now is the time to do our best to prevent any gaps caused by this, not to discuss running for office."

Kim Youngkwon, the former council member, stated, "This was unexpected, so I have not made up my mind yet. I am closely monitoring the situation."

In the People Power Party, Jeon Mankwon, former head of the Asan-eul party chapter, is being discussed as a candidate for both mayor and parliament. Former lawmaker Lee Myungsoo, Asan City Council member Jeon Namsu, and Kim Gilnyeon, head of the Asan Development Center, are also being mentioned as potential candidates.

Jeon Mankwon, the former chapter head, said, "It is premature to say which election I will run in. Political stability comes first," but added, "Regardless of the method, I want to contribute to the development of the local community."

With Jeon Mankwon running for the mayoral by-election, Jeon Namsu, who was appointed as acting chapter head, and Kim Gilnyeon, who failed to pass the party primary in last year's general election, are also reportedly preparing to run.

Former lawmaker Lee Myungsoo, who is being mentioned as a potential candidate both by himself and others, maintains that nothing has been decided.

A representative for Lee stated, "He is currently focusing on his duties as chairman of the Osong Advanced Medical Industry Promotion Foundation," but also left open the possibility, saying, "Nothing has been decided yet."