Liberal parties find majority in April by-elections

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Liberal parties find majority in April by-elections

Published: 03 Apr. 2025, 13:07 Updated: 03 Apr. 2025, 13:22

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Busan's newly elected education superintendent Kim Seok-joon celebrates his victory in the April 2 by-elections at an office in Busanjin District. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

Liberal parties secured a strong victory in the April 2 by-elections, winning four of the five local government head positions.

The low-key elections were seen as a barometer of public sentiment ahead of the Constitutional Court’s ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, given they were the first nationwide elections since his botched attempt to impose martial law last December.

Voter turnout stood at 26.27 percent following the low-profile campaigns by the rival parties amid the country’s worst-ever wildfires in the southeastern region and Yoon’s pending impeachment ruling. However, the turnout was slightly higher than last year’s Oct. 16 by-elections’ 24.62 percent.

Liberal candidate Kim Seok-joon won the race for Busan’s education superintendent, securing 51.13 percent of the vote against conservative candidates Jeong Seung-yoon and Choi Yun-hong. Kim previously served two terms in the position from 2014 to 2022.

The DP won three local government head positions in Seoul’s Guro District, South Chungcheong’s Asan and South Gyeongsang’s Geoje.

In Damyang County, South Jeolla, the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party claimed a local government head position for the first time, defeating the DP. Jeong Cheol-won, the Damyang County Council chief and a Rebuilding Korea Party candidate, defeated DP candidate Lee Jae-jong, a former Blue House administrator under the Moon Jae-in administration.

The race in Damyang, which was a closely watched race that tested DP leader Lee Jae-myung's influence in the region, was the only area where Lee campaigned for the latest by-elections.

The conservative People Power Party secured one local government head position, winning in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang, a traditional conservative stronghold.

Previously, four of the five newly elected local government head positions were held by conservatives.

Wednesday’s by-elections were held in 23 constituencies to elect five local government heads, eight metropolitan council members, nine district council members and Busan’s new education superintendent.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]