Power Structure of Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City Council Takes Shape... Three-Way Race Between Hyunggon Song, Cheolui Sim, and Kyungseon Jeon

Democratic Party Launches Race for Council Chair

Marks the Beginning of the First Power Struggle

Candidate for Inaugural Chair to Be Selected on June 23

The internal primary within the Democratic Party to select the inaugural chairperson of the Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Council has been narrowed down to a three-way race. Since the Democratic Party holds 83 out of the council’s 91 seats, the outcome of the party’s primary on June 23 is effectively expected to determine the winner in the general election for the inaugural chair.

The Democratic Party’s Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Council Members-Elect Election Commission announced on June 20 that candidate registration for the council’s leadership positions had closed, with Hyunggon Song (Goheung 1, four-term member), Cheolui Sim (Seo-gu 4, three-term member), and Kyungseon Jeon (Mokpo 5, three-term member) having registered as candidates for the chairperson position.

In contrast, the positions of vice chairperson, council operations committee chairperson, and floor leader have effectively been decided without a vote, as only one candidate registered for each position.

At the pre-meeting event for the elected members of the Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Council held on the 9th. Photo by Shim Jin-seok

For the vice chairperson representing Gwangju, Seokho Cho (Buk-gu 3, three-term member) registered, and for Jeonnam, Moonsu Kim (Shinan 1, three-term member) registered. For council operations committee chairperson, Minho Shin (Suncheon 6, three-term member) ran unopposed, as did Moonseong Kang (Yeosu 3, three-term member) for the floor leader position.

The Democratic Party plans to hold a general meeting of its members-elect at the Jeonnam Provincial Council plenary hall on June 23 to select its candidate for the inaugural chairperson. If no candidate wins a majority, a runoff will be held.

One noticeable aspect of the council’s organizational process is the absence of female lawmakers. Although approximately 24% of the Democratic Party’s members-elect are women, not a single woman was nominated for any of the chairperson, council operations committee chairperson, or floor leader positions. Despite the historic opportunity to showcase diversity and representation at the launch of the integrated special city, the core leadership positions are being filled by male multi-term lawmakers.

A local political source commented, “The inaugural chairperson election is not simply a matter of selecting the council’s head, but is the first step in shaping the power structure of the integrated special city,” adding, “Depending on who becomes chairperson, there could be significant impacts on the distribution of standing committee chairs and the political balance between Gwangju and Jeonnam.”

Meanwhile, the candidates selected through the party’s primary will officially register with the council secretariat on June 25, and will run in the plenary election involving all 91 council members at the first session of the integrated council on July 1.

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