Ruling party nominates former district chief Chong for Seoul mayor

Lead

The ruling Democratic Party has selected Chong Won-o, a former chief of Seoul's Seongdong district, as its candidate for mayor of the capital in the June 3 local elections, according to multiple reports from Yonhap News Agency.

Chong was confirmed as the party's final candidate after securing a majority of the votes in the main primary, the reports said. The three-day primary, which concluded Thursday, involved a vote split between party members and public opinion polls. The result was announced by Rep. So Byung-hoon, head of the party's election committee.

Coverage comparison

Reporting on the announcement was consistent across the coverage from Yonhap, which detailed the results of the primary and provided background on Chong. The reports also touched on the political landscape for the upcoming Seoul mayoral race, noting that the main opposition People Power Party is holding its own primary.

Key Claims

• The Democratic Party selected Chong Won-o as its candidate for Seoul mayor in the June 3 local elections.
• Chong won a majority of the votes in the party's primary, defeating three-term lawmakers Park Ju-min and Jeon Hyeon-hui, and was confirmed as the candidate without a runoff.
• The primary process, which ran Tuesday through Thursday, was based on a combination of party member votes and public opinion polls.
• Chong first entered politics in 2000 as an aide to a lawmaker. He was first elected as Seongdong district chief in 2014 and served three consecutive terms.
• A separate report noted the Democratic Party confirmed Rep. Chun Jae-soo as its candidate for Busan mayor after he won the primary there.

Perspectives

The Democratic Party's election for Seoul mayor is taking place against a backdrop of high approval for Chong's past performance in local government. The reports noted that President Lee Jae Myung shared a news report on social media platform X late last year citing a survey in which 93 percent of respondents expressed satisfaction with Chong's performance.

On the other side of the political aisle, the main opposition People Power Party is in the midst of its own primary race, with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, freshman lawmaker Park Soo-min, and former lawmaker Yun Hee-suk vying for the nomination. The party is expected to finalize its candidate next week following a debate. Oh, who currently holds the mayoral position, is seen by some as the leading conservative contender in the race.

In the Busan mayor race, where the Democratic Party confirmed Rep. Chun Jae-soo as its standard-bearer, the report highlighted that Chun is the only incumbent Democratic Party lawmaker in the southern city, a region often noted for its strong conservative support. He won the primary by defeating Lee Jae-sung, a former head of the party's Busan chapter.