[Issue] Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Mayor Primary Intensifies: Medical School Bidding and Policy Disputes Escalate

Clashes between Eastern and Western Regions over Suncheon Medical School Proposal... Regional Conflict Intensifies
Debate Expands over Administrative Performance and Policy Feasibility... Integrity Controversies Spread
300,000 Party Members Begin Voting... All Eyes on 'One Elimination' in the Preliminary Primary and Main Race Structure

The Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special Mayor primary election is seeing both regional conflicts and disputes between candidates intensify as the preliminary race begins. The early stages of the election are heating up rapidly due to overlapping controversies over the location for a new medical school, evaluations of provincial administrative achievements, and the verification of policy pledges.

Clashes over Medical School Location, Disputes over Administration and Pledges... All-Out Conflict in the Primary Race

The establishment location of the medical school emerged as the biggest issue in the early stages of the primary. When preliminary candidate Kang Kijung proposed establishing a national medical school in Suncheon, backlash erupted from the western region centered on Mokpo. Politicians from the western region, including Assemblyman Kim Wonyi, expressed their opposition, and a clash broke out between local politicians and citizens at Kang's campaign event for the western region the previous day.

Preliminary candidate Kim Youngrok criticized Kang's remarks about placing the medical school in Suncheon as "inappropriate" and urged him to withdraw the statement. In response, Kang maintained his position, saying, "The eastern region has been marginalized compared to its population and economic size."

Candidates for the Democratic Party of Korea's Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special Mayor primary election, Kim Youngrok (from left), Kang Kijeong, Jeong Junho, Joo Cheolhyun, Shin Junghoon, Min Hyeongbae, and Lee Byeonghun, are taking a commemorative photo at the joint candidate speech meeting for the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special Mayor preliminary primary, held on the 14th at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Amidst regional strife, candidates continued to check each other. Preliminary candidate Shin Jeonghoon's camp criticized Kim Youngrok by saying, "He is incompetent and unfit to be the unified mayor," and also raised issues regarding Kim's ownership of an apartment in Yongsan, Seoul, and his use of an official residence in Muan. In the debate, Shin also questioned Kim's population and economic indicators during his tenure, as well as his "500 trillion won semiconductor investment" pledge, and proposed a public debate. Kim's camp rebutted these accusations, saying they were "distortions of the facts."

The debate also saw disputes surrounding preliminary candidate Min Hyungbae. Kim Youngrok referred to Min's previous cautious stance on unification, insisting that "an apology is necessary," and also questioned the feasibility of Min's pledges to establish a power company and supply electricity at low prices.

Kang Kijung, in a turn-taking debate, raised concerns about the integrity of one of Min's close associates, emphasizing that "because the unified mayor will have significant authority over permits and approvals, a high degree of integrity is crucial." He then asked Min for his position on a bribery case involving Min's chief of staff during his tenure as district mayor. Min countered, "To my knowledge, it was not a crime committed using public authority," and added, "Bringing up a matter from 10 years ago is negative campaigning." Kang responded, "A prison sentence for a chief of staff is a serious matter."

Candidates Shin Jeonghoon and Jung Junho held opposing views on the common question of how to utilize the 20 trillion won in government support following unification.

Shin Jeonghoon stated, "While other candidates emphasize investment in future industries, the immediate priority should be alleviating the suffering of local residents," and insisted, "The funds should be divided equally into three parts for livelihoods, balanced development, and future industries."

Jung Junho, on the other hand, stressed the need to expand financial resources. He argued, "Rather than dividing up 20 trillion won, we should scale it up to 30 trillion won," and added, "We must secure an additional 10 trillion won in funds that were not utilized due to the failed integration of Daegu-Gyeongbuk and Daejeon-Chungnam."

The Preliminary Primary Begins... 'One Elimination' Out of 300,000 Party Members, Main Race Restructured

This primary will be narrowed from six to five candidates through the preliminary primary, followed by the main primary and a final runoff. The Democratic Party will conduct the preliminary primary through a 100% vote of dues-paying party members by March 20, eliminating one candidate.

At an early voting station in Jung-gu, Seoul, a voter is placing the ballot envelope into the ballot box. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

The preliminary primary vote targets approximately 300,000 dues-paying party members in Gwangju and Jeonnam, conducted online via smartphone and PC. There are 112,079 party members in Gwangju and about 200,000 in Jeonnam.

The main primary will be held from April 3 to 5. Both the main primary and the final runoff will combine votes from dues-paying party members and an "Ansim Number" electoral college, with voting conducted both online and via ARS (Automated Response System).

The "Ansim Number" electoral college for the public participation primary will be formed from applicants selected as a representative sample reflecting gender, age, and regional ratios, and voting will be carried out using the Ansim Number through the ARS system.

During the main primary stage, in-depth regional policy jury debates reflecting the characteristics of the Jeonnam and Gwangju areas will also be held. The debates will be divided into three regions: Gwangju, western Jeonnam, and eastern Jeonnam, with 30 policy jury members in each region evaluating the candidates’ policies and capabilities.

If no candidate secures a majority in the main primary, a runoff election between the top two candidates will be held from April 12 to 14 to determine the final nominee.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.