On March 24, 2026, South Korea’s Democratic Party (DP) revealed the three candidates who will advance to the main primary for Seoul mayor, setting the stage for a heated contest ahead of the June 3 local elections. The announcement, made by Hong Ki-won, Deputy Chairman of the DP’s Central Election Commission, confirmed that Park Joo-min, Jeong Won-oh, and Jeon Hyun-hee emerged victorious from the party’s preliminary primary, while Kim Young-bae and Kim Hyung-nam were eliminated from the race.
The preliminary primary, conducted exclusively through party member votes from the morning of March 23 until 6 PM on March 24, was a closely watched event. According to Straight News and other major outlets, the DP strictly adhered to its internal rules by withholding the specific vote percentages and rankings of the candidates. As Hong Ki-won explained, “We do not disclose the candidates’ rankings or vote rates according to party rules. This principle of non-disclosure is a minimum institutional device to ensure fair competition without favoring or disadvantaging any candidate.”
The party also issued a stern warning against the misuse of unofficial voting information on social media, emphasizing that any attempt to manipulate perceptions by releasing or speculating about vote counts would be met with strict disciplinary action. “Please be careful not to have candidate camps predict or distort rankings with texts or SNS posts about vote rates and rankings,” Hong added, underscoring the DP’s commitment to a transparent and fair process.
The three main primary candidates will now face each other in two nationally televised joint debates: the first scheduled for March 31 at 9 PM on MBC, and the second on April 3 at 3:40 PM on KBS, with both events also streamed live on the party’s YouTube channel. The main primary itself will take place from April 7 to April 9, with the winner determined by a combination of 50% party members’ votes and 50% public opinion polling. If no candidate secures a majority, a runoff between the top two contenders will be held from April 17 to April 19, with the final candidate to be confirmed on April 19.
Each of the three candidates brings a distinct profile and policy focus to the race. Jeong Won-oh, former Seongdong District Mayor, is widely regarded as the front-runner based on various opinion polls. He touts his achievements in urban regeneration, public housing expansion, and the enhancement of living social infrastructure (SOC) during his tenure. “I will take all the criticisms and suggestions from this primary to become a stronger candidate, a more capable Democratic Party, and a more united team,” Jeong said, according to Kyunghyang Shinmun. “We will protect the daily lives of Seoul citizens, create change in Seoul, and ultimately prove our victory in Seoul.”
Park Joo-min, a current lawmaker, has made policies for livelihood and housing stability the centerpiece of his campaign. He is advocating for rent market stabilization, expanded public rental housing, and increased support for youth and newlyweds. After advancing to the main primary, Park took to Facebook to urge an earlier start to policy debates, stating, “The currently scheduled March 31 debate is too late. Let’s begin the first policy debate within five days.” He added, “A general election without scrutiny is dangerous. We need to debate and refine our positions first if we want to defeat Mayor Oh Se-hoon more decisively.”
Jeon Hyun-hee, also a sitting lawmaker and former Chair of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, emphasizes her experience and administrative acumen. She is campaigning on real estate transparency, public sector reform, and fair governance. “My strengths are clear: confirmed competitiveness in both Gangnam and Gangbuk, political sense and leadership as a three-term lawmaker, and proven administrative experience as a minister-level commissioner,” Jeon declared during a press briefing, as reported by Kyunghyang Shinmun.
With the field narrowed to three, the competition has grown noticeably fiercer. Jeong Won-oh, seen as the leading candidate, has become the primary target of negative campaigning from his rivals. Park Joo-min, in an appearance on MBC Radio’s Kim Jong-bae’s Focus, questioned Jeong’s suitability, saying, “He either lacks or has a very weak sense of moral sensitivity and Democratic Party DNA. His sense of political judgment is also very poor.” Park also raised concerns about Jeong’s alleged connections to a local sports event sponsored by Deutsche Motors during his time as district mayor.
Jeon Hyun-hee, for her part, criticized Jeong’s signature policy, the ‘Success Bus’ (a public bus initiative in Seongdong), arguing that it was essentially no different from Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s ‘Hangang Bus’ project. She expressed “deep regret at the Jeong camp’s stance of dismissing fact-based policy scrutiny as negative campaigning.”
In response to these attacks, Jeong Won-oh called for unity and a focus on substantive policy debate. “I believe this primary should be a competition of policies and solutions, and a united campaign to give hope to citizens,” he wrote on Facebook. “I will lead by example.” His campaign spokesperson, Park Kyung-mi, echoed this sentiment, urging, “We must stop low-level negativity disguised as scrutiny.”
Party officials have also stepped in to cool tempers. Hong Ki-won, the DP’s election commission deputy chair, appealed for restraint: “We ask all candidates and stakeholders to focus on healthy policy competition and avoid excessive negativity or overheated competition.” There is a growing sense within the party that, given the tight race expected against the opposition in Seoul, candidates must moderate their rhetoric and present a united front.
Meanwhile, the opposition People’s Power Party (PPP) has finalized its own three-way race for Seoul mayor, featuring incumbent Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Assemblyman Park Soo-min, and former Assemblywoman Yoon Hee-sook. Oh Se-hoon, who enjoys the advantages of incumbency, leads in most polls. Park Soo-min emphasizes his political experience and strong local base in Gangnam, while Yoon Hee-sook highlights her expertise in economic and fiscal policy. The PPP had faced some internal friction over the nomination process, but the adoption of a primary system appears to have settled most disputes for now.
For the DP’s main primary, the public opinion survey portion will employ anonymized phone numbers to protect voter privacy, with a sample of 90,000 numbers drawn from Seoul’s pool of over 5 million eligible voters. This blend of party member input and public sentiment aims to yield a candidate with broad appeal heading into the general election.
As the April debates and main primary approach, all eyes are on how the three DP candidates will differentiate themselves on policy, respond to mounting scrutiny, and whether they can avoid fracturing the party ahead of a high-stakes battle for Seoul’s top office. The coming weeks promise not just political theater, but a revealing test of leadership, vision, and party unity in one of South Korea’s most watched electoral contests.