![On the 20th, the prospective candidates posed for a group photo at JTBC in Seoul’s Mapo District. From left: Kim Hyeong-nam, Jung Won-oh, Jeon Hyun-hee, Park Joo-min and Kim Young-bae. [Photo=Yonhap]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2026/03/CP-2023-0070/image-af295566-7f30-4d71-a7f1-00e48ad8cb85.jpeg)
Among candidates from the Democratic Party of Korea who declared bids for mayor of Seoul, Jung Won-oh, Park Joo-min and Jeon Hyun-hee advanced past the preliminary round and will move on to the final primary. That means Kim Hyeong-nam and Kim Young-bae, who had also entered the race, were eliminated.
On the afternoon of the 24th, the party’s Central Election Management Committee announced at its Yeouido headquarters which candidates will advance to the final primary for the Seoul mayoral nomination.
Hong Gi-won, deputy chair of the Central Election Management Committee, told reporters, "We hereby announce that Park Joo-min, Jung Won-oh and Jeon Hyun-hee have been selected as the final primary candidates to determine the Democratic Party of Korea’s nominee for Seoul mayor in the 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections."
Before the final primary, the three candidates will vie for support in joint debates scheduled for the 30th and the 3rd of next month. The final primary will be held from the 7th to the 9th of next month. If no candidate wins an absolute majority, a runoff will be held from the 17th to the 19th to select the party’s final nominee. If a candidate secures more than half the votes in the final primary, a runoff will not be necessary.
Earlier, the party held two days of joint debates beginning on the 19th. From the 23rd, it conducted a two-day preliminary online vote, conducted 100% by registered party members, to narrow the field to the final three candidates.
Hong also noted that some candidates recently disclosed their own vote percentages, warning that the party will take strict action if candidates intentionally publish vote percentages or rankings.
"Under party rules, we do not disclose rankings or vote percentages from primary results," Hong said. "This is a minimum institutional safeguard to ensure fair competition and to avoid giving any particular candidate an unfair advantage. Please refrain from abusing this by circulating predictions of vote percentages or rankings via text messages or social media that could mislead the public about the standings."
