In the June 3 local elections, the Gyeonggi governor can be seen as one of the most watched "big 3," along with the Seoul mayor and Busan mayor. In the last two elections, the Gyeonggi governor's seat was won by candidates from the Democratic Party of Korea. President Lee Jae-myung was elected in 2018, resigned midterm, and then ran in the 2022 presidential election. Incumbent Governor Kim Dong-yeon was elected in 2022. In the four earlier elections, former Governors Sohn Hak-kyu, Kim Moon-soo, and Nam Kyung-pil were all from the Hannara Party and the Saenuri Party.
Ahead of this local election, six people in the Democratic Party of Korea have declared or signaled they will run. In contrast, no one in the People Power Party has declared a bid yet. In political circles, some say, "The outline of the opposition candidate needs to emerge for the ruling camp's field to narrow."
◇ Ruling camp's incumbent Kim Dong-yeon, pro-Myung Han Jun-ho, six-term Choo Mi-ae line up
Han Jun-ho, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker (Goyang-eul, Gyeonggi), declared his candidacy for Gyeonggi governor on the 12th. Han said, "Gyeonggi Province must succeed for the Lee Jae-myung administration to succeed. The Lee Jae-myung administration must succeed for Korea and the people to succeed," throwing his hat into the ring. In November last year, he went as a special envoy to the Bolivian presidential inauguration and secured visa-free entry, making him a pro-Myung (pro–Lee Jae-myung) politician who received the "No. 1 appreciation plaque" since the president's inauguration.
Earlier, three former and incumbent lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea declared runs for Gyeonggi governor: former lawmaker Yang Gi-dae, lawmaker Kim Byung-joo (Namyangju-eul), and lawmaker Kwon Chil-seung (Hwaseong-byeong). Incumbent Governor Kim Dong-yeon is also preparing to seek another term. In addition, six-term lawmaker Choo Mi-ae (Hanam-gap) is expected to hold a book launch in Suwon on the 22nd, after the Lunar New Year holiday, and make her run for Gyeonggi governor official.
Inside and outside the Democratic Party of Korea, there is talk that "the field needs to be coordinated well to pick a candidate who can definitely win."
◇ Outline of opposition candidates has yet to emerge… "It will take time for the final matchup to come out"
So far, no prominent politician in the People Power Party has declared a run for Gyeonggi governor. Former lawmakers Shim Jae-chul and Won Yoo-chul are reportedly preparing to run but have not finalized their decisions. Former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min and lawmaker Kim Eun-hye are also being mentioned, but for now they are drawing a line against running.
Accordingly, in political circles there is a forecast that "it will take time for the final matchup for Gyeonggi governor to come out, as the ruling and opposition camps will have to continue their chess match." If a prominent politician emerges as the People Power Party candidate, the Democratic Party of Korea will have to pick a nominee with a strong chance of winning the general election. Conversely, if a weak candidate emerges for the PPP, the Democratic Party of Korea could gain leeway to choose its nominee according to internal dynamics.
According to a poll released on the 4th by Gyeonggi Ilbo, commissioned to Jowon C&I and Research & Research (conducted on the 31st of last month), in suitability for the Democratic Party of Korea's Gyeonggi governor candidate, Governor Kim Dong-yeon had 30%, lawmaker Choo Mi-ae 18.3%, lawmaker Han Jun-ho 7.8%, lawmaker Kim Byung-joo 4.6%, former lawmaker Yang Gi-dae 1.8%, and lawmaker Kwon Chil-seung 0.7%.
The Jowon C&I–Research & Research poll surveyed 1,000 men and women aged 18 or older living in Gyeonggi Province through a telephone interview (CATI) poll (100% mobile virtual numbers, random sampling by proportional allocation by gender, age group, and region). The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For details, refer to the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.