[Editorial] Local elections should focus more on community workers, not become a 'mini general election'

The 9th nationwide local elections are now just a month away. Local elections are like a festival of grassroots democracy, as they choose thousands of community workers, including the heads of 16 metropolitan governments and local councils across the country, as well as local lawmakers. However, the atmosphere surrounding the race now seems far removed from the original purpose of local elections, which is deeply concerning.
This local election is increasingly being treated as a midterm assessment of the Lee Jae-myung administration. The ruling party, buoyed by the president's approval ratings, is putting forward the slogan of 'stability in state affairs,' while the opposition is countering with calls to 'check the unilateral drive of the government and ruling party.' Central parties do have a role in local elections, but it would be problematic if an election meant to choose people to run local affairs were turned into a proxy battle over national politics.
To make matters worse, the 14 by-elections for members of the National Assembly, which will be held at the same time as the local elections, are drawing even more attention than the local races. Greater interest is being focused on the candidacies of prominent politicians such as Cho Kuk, Han Dong-hoon, and Song Young-gil. In this 'mini general election,' news about mayors, county heads, and district chiefs, as well as local pledges, is receiving relatively little attention.
It is not desirable for voters to pay more attention to the movements of candidates in the by-elections for members of the National Assembly than to those running in the local elections. The more voters' eyes are drawn to national politics, the more likely it is that scrutiny and selection of local candidates will be neglected. Local elections should remain local elections. Communities can only develop if they choose good people who are committed to serving the region.
Once the campaign enters full swing, it may shift from policy competition to a logic of bloc consolidation, and the voices of local candidates could be drowned out. Voters may end up casting ballots based only on party affiliation, without enough time to examine local issues. The pattern of bloc politics repeated in past local elections is already showing signs of happening again. If communities fail to elect the right workers, the damage will fall on local residents.
Voters should reflect on the purpose of local elections. This year marks the 31st anniversary of the introduction of the local autonomy system in 1995. The essence of local autonomy lies in transferring authority, finances, and policy-making power from the central government to local communities. Decades have passed, but grassroots democracy still cannot be said to be fully established. That is due to voter indifference and the intervention of national politics.
The purpose of local elections is for residents to decide for themselves who will take responsibility for and improve transportation, welfare, the environment, and education in the area where they live. Local government heads, who may oversee budgets worth tens of trillions of won, can have a profound impact on both the region and its residents. This shows how important local elections truly are.
It is useless to regret a bad choice after the fact. Voters should choose the best candidates: not proxies for the central government, but people who understand local problems and have the ability to solve them. The choice belongs to voters. They must examine and judge for themselves which candidate has the strongest insight and policies on urgent issues such as the local economy and welfare.