With both the ruling and opposition parties completing appointments to their local election task forces for the vote on Jun. 3 next year, the political scene in Yeouido has shifted into full local-election mode. The ruling camp is busy searching for someone who can defeat incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in the capital, the biggest battleground.
The People Power Party launched its local election general planning task force and its Special Committee on Party Organization Reinforcement on 18th. Five-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won became Chairperson of the local election general planning task force, and Jeong Hee-yong, the party's secretary-general, was appointed ex officio as Chairperson of the special committee. Centering on the task force and the special committee, the People Power Party plans to craft a strategy to win next year's local elections and set criteria for candidate evaluations.
The Democratic Party of Korea launched its local election task force earlier, on Aug. 26. Lawmaker Cho Seung-rae serves as Director General, and lawmakers Lee Hae-sik, Lee Soo-jin, Moon Jeong-bok, Choi Ki-sang, Yoon Joon-byung, Park Sang-hyuk, and Jang Kyung-tae joined. They will lead the establishment of nomination evaluation criteria and the recruitment of outside figures. With both parties rolling out local election task forces, they vowed, "We will align every activity of the party with victory in next year's local elections."
By far the area drawing the most attention is Seoul, regarded as the biggest battleground. In the 8th local elections held in 2022, the People Power Party won by a landslide in Seoul. Mayor Oh Se-hoon took 59.05% of the vote, comfortably ahead of Democratic Party candidate Song Young-gil (39.24%), and the People Power Party captured 17 of the city's 25 district offices.
This time, the situation is different. With the election taking place after former President Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law and impeachment and the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, assessments say the ruling Democratic Party holds an advantage. A People Power Party lawmaker with a constituency in Seoul said, "When we run local opinion polls, the results look completely different from three years ago," adding, "We are even considering the worst-case scenario in which both the mayoralty and district offices flip to the ruling party."
Within the People Power Party, incumbent Mayor Oh Se-hoon is widely expected to seek a third consecutive term. The myeong taegyun allegations could become a drag, but in political circles they are not seen as a major obstacle. Names such as Ahn Cheol-soo and Na Kyung-won are being floated inside the ruling camp, but if Mayor Oh decides to run, it will be hard for other contenders to step forward. A People Power Party official said, "In the recent election for Seoul party chair, lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin faced lawmaker Cho Jung-hoon, and as Mayor Oh tilted toward Bae, Bae seized the momentum at the end," adding, "It showed that Mayor Oh still has a firm grip on the Seoul party chapter."
On the ruling party side, several politicians are already putting their names into the potential candidate pool. Lawmakers Jeon Hyun-hee (Jung-gu–Seongdong-gu A), Park Jumin (Eunpyeong-gu A), and Park Hong-keun (Jungnang-gu B) are representative. On 15th, lawmaker Jeon held a launch ceremony at the National Assembly for the "Global K-Seoul Urban Policy Forum." The move was interpreted as the launch of her own think tank ahead of the Seoul mayoral race. At the ceremony, Jeon emphasized, "Now, Seoul must be reborn as the world's No. 1 city, surpassing other global cities."
Lawmaker Park Jumin has been holding a series of seminars and debates at the National Assembly attacking Mayor Oh Se-hoon's housing and transportation policies. When Park held a debate criticizing the rapid integrated planning scheme, Mayor Oh shot back, saying, "There are people who think redevelopment and reconstruction produce housing as if stamped out of a bread factory," which drew attention. Lawmaker Park Hong-keun recently opened a new communications room. Observers say it is unusual for an incumbent lawmaker who is neither a top party official nor in a primary to open such a room while not holding a party post.
In addition, within the ruling camp, lawmaker Seo Young-kyo and former floor leader Hong Ik-pyo are also said to be interested in the Seoul mayoralty. However, the prevailing view is that the currently mentioned candidates would struggle to get ahead of Mayor Oh. A ruling party lawmaker said, "Even areas once considered favorable to the Democratic Party are becoming more conservative along with reconstruction," adding, "Within the party, the dominant view is that with only the candidates currently being discussed, competitiveness would be lacking against Mayor Oh."
There is also talk that to win the Seoul mayoral race, the party should draft a figure with nationwide name recognition. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik are representative examples. Kim is cited within the ruling camp as a strong Seoul mayoral contender. At a government questioning session on 15th, when asked whether he would run in next year's local elections, he answered, "I have no such intention," but if the election nears and ruling-camp candidates still look weak, he could enter the race, whether self-driven or at others' urging.
Chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik is also drawing attention within the ruling camp as a card that could appeal even to the centrist bloc. He has pursued a politically centrist line and is widely regarded as a hands-on strategist. Kang, whose constituency was Asan B in South Chungcheong, could run for South Chungcheong governor in next year's local elections, but some in the ruling camp have begun to mention the possibility of drafting him for the Seoul mayoralty.