The 4·2 by-election is just two days away. This election will take place in a total of 23 locations, but voting will occur in only 21 of them. In Gyeongbuk Seongju County and Jeonnam Damyang County, candidates for both metropolitan and basic council positions are running unopposed, which has already guaranteed their election without a vote.
In the by-election for Busan Superintendent of Education, three candidates are competing: two from the conservative camp and one from the progressive camp. This election is being held because Hah Yoon-soo, the former Busan Superintendent, was disqualified after a court upheld a conviction for violating the Public Official Election Act in December last year.
In the progressive camp, Kim Seok-jun, the former Busan Superintendent, has unified as the candidate, but in the conservative camp, Jung Seung-yoon, a professor at Busan National University School of Law, and Choi Yoon-hong, the acting Superintendent of Education in Busan, are in the race. The early voting rate, which took place from 28th to 29th, was recorded at 5.87%, marking the lowest early voting rate among all previous metropolitan elections.
In the metropolitan area, a by-election for the head of Guro District in Seoul is underway. Four candidates are running: Jang In-hong from the Democratic Party, Seo Sang-beom from the Justice Party, Choi Jae-hee from the Progressive Party, and Lee Kang-san from the Liberty Unification Party. The People Power Party did not field a candidate, considering that the previous head of Guro District, Moon Heon-il, resigned due to refusing a stock blind trust.
There are also regions where candidates have already been elected without voting. In the Gyeongbuk Seongju County by-election for provincial council, independent candidate Jeong Young-gil ran unopposed and has been confirmed elected. Similarly, in the Damyang County council by-election, independent candidate Noh Dae-hyun from the Democratic Party also ran unopposed. According to the Public Official Election Act, "if the number of candidates does not exceed the number of council members to be elected in the district, the candidate is deemed elected without a vote on the election day."
In addition, both ruling and opposition parties are competing in three regions: Asan Mayor in Chungnam, Gimcheon Mayor in Gyeongbuk, and Geoje Mayor in Gyeongnam. In the Asan mayor by-election, Oh Se-hyun from the Democratic Party, Jeon Man-kwon from the People Power Party, Cho Deok-ho from the New Future Democratic Party, and Kim Kwang-man from the Liberty Unification Party are running. In the Gimcheon mayor by-election, Hwang Tae-sung from the Democratic Party, Bae Nak-ho from the People Power Party, and independents Lee Chang-jae and Lee Seon-myeong are competing. In the Geoje mayor by-election, Byeon Kwang-yong from the Democratic Party, Park Hwan-ki from the People Power Party, and independents Kim Du-ho and Hwang Young-seok are in competition.
The main voting for this by-election is on April 2. Voting will be available from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Previously, the early voting rate from 28th to 29th was 7.94%. Of the total 4,629,908 registered voters, 366,858 participants (7.94%) took part. On the first day of early voting, 156,534 voters (3.39%), and on the last day, 210,324 voters (4.55%) cast their votes.