![From left, former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil, Cho Kuk Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk, and former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon. [Photo: Yonhap]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/05/03/20260503155504363945.jpg)
With parties finalizing nominations ahead of the June 3 local elections, attention is intensifying on a slate of by-elections and re-elections that political observers are calling a “mini general election” because of the number of prominent candidates running.
As of Saturday, 14 constituencies had been confirmed for the contests, according to political circles. Re-elections will be held in two districts: Gyeonggi Province’s Pyeongtaek-eul and North Jeolla Province’s Gunsan-Gimje-Buan-gap. By-elections will be held in 12 districts: Busan Buk-gap, Daegu Dalseong, Incheon Yeonsu-gap, Incheon Gyeyang-eul, Gwangju Gwangsan-eul, Ulsan Nam-gap, Gyeonggi Province’s Ansan-gap and Hanam-gap, South Chungcheong Province’s Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang and Asan-eul, North Jeolla Province’s Gunsan-Gimje-Buan-eul, and Jeju’s Seogwipo.
Several heavyweight figures have entered the races, adding to the stakes over whether they can win seats in the National Assembly. They include former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon (Busan Buk-gap), former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil (Incheon Yeonsu-gap), former Gangwon governor Lee Kwang-jae (Gyeonggi Hanam-gap), Cho Kuk Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk (Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek-eul), and former Korea Communications Commission chair Lee Jin-sook (Daegu Dalseong). If Song wins, the article said, he would become a six-term lawmaker.
Pyeongtaek-eul has emerged as a top battleground, with a five-way contest expected: Democratic Party candidate Kim Yong-nam, People Power Party candidate Yoo Eui-dong, Progressive Party candidate Kim Jae-yeon, Hwang Kyo-ahn of the Liberty and Solidarity party, and Cho. In a social media post Saturday, Cho wrote, “I will fight with everything I have, trusting only the public will, and win by three votes.” The article also noted concerns that a loss would deal an unavoidable blow to his party.
Busan Buk-gap, where Han is running, is also drawing intense interest. Han is campaigning as an independent, while the Democratic Party has made a strategic nomination of Ha Jung-woo, a former senior presidential secretary for AI and future planning. Ha chose Gupo Market for his first campaign stop, saying it was only right to greet residents of his hometown first and tell them, “The son of Buk-gu has returned.” In the People Power Party, a primary is scheduled between former Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-sik and former KBS reporter Lee Young-poong.
With multi-candidate fields forming in key districts, possible candidate unification is expected to influence outcomes. In Busan Buk-gap, the race could shift to either a three-way or two-way contest depending on whether Han and the People Power Party nominee unify. In Pyeongtaek-eul, the article said, if one side produces a single candidate, vote-splitting on the other side would be difficult to avoid.
Overall, the outlook remains uncertain. Cho Won-bin, president of the Korean Association of Party Studies, told Ajunews by phone that it is too early to draw firm conclusions. He said unification talks could accelerate based on polling, depending on how competitive Cho and Han prove to be in their districts.
In other districts, analysts said party alignment may matter more than individual candidates. Cho said the opposition is struggling in some areas to field sufficiently competitive candidates, adding that under the single-member district system, the race is likely to converge around the two major parties.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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