Seongnam mayor: Kim Byeong-uk wins Democratic Party nomination
The Democratic Party of Korea’s Gyeonggi Province nomination committee announced the first-round results for ten local government head races, including Seongnam’s mayoral contest. The committee awarded a sole nomination to Kim Byeong-uk, the former chief political secretary at the Blue House, for Seongnam mayor.
Kim Byeong-uk is identified as a member of the party’s pro–Lee Jae-myung faction, known as the “7-in” group. He previously served as a two-term member of the National Assembly representing Seongnam’s Bundang district in the 20th and 21st legislatures.
Kim Ji-ho, who had registered as a candidate for Seongnam mayor, said he will file for reconsideration after being cut off without a party primary, expressing deep disappointment with the decision.
Kim Ji-ho is a former Democratic Party spokesperson. He previously worked as an aide to President Lee Jae-myung during Lee’s time as governor of Gyeonggi Province and later as the deputy head of the party’s political affairs coordination office when Lee led the party.
Kim Ji-ho argued that a fair primary would have allowed voters and party members to scrutinize policies and test candidates, warning that bypassing such a process could weaken the general election contest. He cited a pledge from party leader Jung Cheong-ra that there would be no unfair cutoffs in this local election and said he would trust that commitment while pursuing reconsideration.
![Governor Baker celebrates King Boston’s $1M gift to Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury
Governor Charlie Baker joins Acting Mayor Kim Janey, District Attorney Rachael Rollins, Reverend Willie Bodrick II, Reverend Jeffrey L. Brown, King Boston Founder Paul English and King Boston Executive Director Imari Paris Jeffries to celebrate King Boston’s $1 million gift to Twelfth Baptist Church on Sept. 20, 2021. The gift is part of the campaign for the Embrace Memorial on the Boston Common, in tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. King Boston also announced the 1965 Freedom Plaza Nomination Campaign and Selection Committee. [Joshua Qualls/Governor’s Press Office]](https://journalkor.site/content/images/2026/03/02_Kim_Janey_51496308757_o__1_.jpg)
For U.S. readers, the episode highlights how internal nomination battles within Korea’s ruling party can influence political stability and governance in the Seoul metropolitan area. Seongnam, a populous city near Seoul, plays a significant role in regional policy, urban development, and economic activity that can affect supply chains, tech investment, and regional security dynamics.
The results also illustrate factional dynamics within the Democratic Party, with candidates tied to prominent figures in the Lee Jae-myung faction. The outcome of Seongnam’s mayoral race could shape policy directions on housing, infrastructure, and local governance that reverberate through national politics and, by extension, U.S.-Korea cooperation in markets and strategic priorities.