Lee Won-taek Wins, Cho Kuk Loses, and Jung Chung-rae's Re-election Bid Is in the Balance

\r\n
\r\n[Financial News] Although the June 3 local elections are being judged a victory for the Democratic Party of Korea, uncertainty still hangs over Jung Chung-rae's chances of winning another term.
He narrowly avoided a crisis in which he could have been overtaken by Kim Kwan-young, an independent politician who had been expelled after Lee Won-taek won the Jeonbuk governor race. But in the Pyeongtaek-eul, Gyeonggi constituency by-election, Kim Yong-nam of the DPK and Cho Kuk of the Rebuilding Korea Party failed to unite their candidacies, and the seat was taken by Yu Eui-dong of the People Power Party.
According to the National Election Commission (NEC) on the 4th, Lee Won-taek, the elected Jeonbuk governor, defeated independent politician Kim Kwan-young after a close race.
Within the DPK, there had been speculation that if Kim Kwan-young had won, the leadership would inevitably face blame for deciding to expel him. For Jung, the worst-case scenario was avoided.
By contrast, the Pyeongtaek-eul race in Gyeonggi went to Yu Eui-dong of the People Power Party because the progressive consolidation between Kim Yong-nam of the DPK and Cho Kuk of the Rebuilding Korea Party fell through. Since analysts believe a unified ticket would likely have won comfortably based on vote share, the leadership, including Jung, is expected to face criticism.
In particular, the DPK's defeat in the Pyeongtaek-eul by-election has widened the distance between the party and the Rebuilding Korea Party, making merger talks even more remote. Many had expected that if Cho Kuk entered the National Assembly, he would help rally Moon Jae-in faction members after a merger and strengthen Jung's position.
In addition, Kim Boo-kyum, whom Jung recruited after repeated requests, and Ha Jung-woo, the candidate in the Busan Buk-gu-gap by-election, also lost to People Power Party winner Choo Kyung-ho in the Daegu mayor race and independent winner Han Dong-hoon in Busan Buk-gu-gap. This, too, is an issue from which Jung cannot avoid taking a political hit.
\r\n
uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yun-ho Reporter