![Park Deok-heum, chair of the People Power Party nomination committee, enters a briefing at party headquarters in Seoul on April 26 to announce the party’s candidate for Daegu mayor in the June 3 local elections. [Photo=Yonhap]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/04/30/20260430201330358851.jpg)
Competition for the People Power Party’s nominations in upcoming by-elections is intensifying, with applications heavily concentrated in a handful of districts.
Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday that the party’s nomination committee received 25 applications across nine districts by the close of registration that day. The largest field was in South Chungcheong’s Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang, with seven applicants. Gyeonggi’s Hanam Gap drew six, emerging as a key battleground in the Seoul metropolitan area. Ulsan Nam Gap had four applicants.
Other districts drew little interest. Jeju’s Seogwipo and Gwangju’s Gwangsan Eul each had a single applicant, and Incheon’s Gyeyang Eul saw no additional candidates enter the race.
Several prominent figures also applied. In Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang, Chung Jin-suk, a former National Assembly deputy speaker, filed for the nomination. In Busan Buk Gap, Park Min-sik, a former minister, applied. In Daegu’s Dalseong County, Lee Jin-sook, a former Korea Communications Commission chair, also entered the contest.
Within the party, some have called for strategic nominations to strengthen competitiveness in the capital region. Hanam Gap has been at the center of speculation about recruiting Yoo Seung-min, a former lawmaker, though it remains unclear whether the party is seriously considering it.
Some party members have warned that crowded fields could fuel internal disputes over nominations, while others say single-candidate districts may signal weakened local organization.
The committee is set to begin interviews May 1, hold primaries May 3-4 and confirm final nominees May 5.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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