Within the twenty second general election this 12 months, the Progressive Party has seized the chance for political recovery by re-entering the National Assembly for the primary time in 10 years. On this general election, the Progressive Party secured three seats and regained its status as a National Assembly party. This is taken into account a very important political turning point for the Progressive Party, which has been weak for the past several years.
The Yeonggwang County by-election in South Jeolla Province, by which the Progressive Party’s Lee Seok-ha is running, is predicted to be a very important test for expanding this political revival into local politics. The Progressive Party is showing a powerful will to bring about latest changes in local autonomy on this Yeonggwang County by-election, and is attempting to solidify a brand new political support base within the region.
This Yeonggwang County Governor by-election will not be simply a matter of 1 local politician’s victory or defeat, but slightly carries a symbolic meaning related to the political resurgence of the Progressive Party. With the Progressive Party reestablished as a parliamentary party, this challenge to understand progressive values within the local autonomy field might be seen as an important political experiment.
The Progressive Party has had the experience of forming a nationwide support base previously, but there was a time when it did not enter the National Assembly as a result of various political ups and downs. Nonetheless, its re-entry into the National Assembly through this general election might be interpreted as a signal that the social values and efforts that the Progressive Party has consistently maintained are once more receiving attention.
The Progressive Party’s performance within the Yeonggwang County Governor by-election in South Jeolla Province could have a major impact on future local elections. If candidate Lee Seok-ha wins this election, it should not only be a possibility for the Progressive Party to expand its influence in local politics, but it should also function a foundation for making progressive voices stronger nationwide.
The Yeonggwang County Governor by-election might be a very important moment to find out whether the Progressive Party can gain the trust of local residents and produce about latest changes in local autonomy. Attention is being paid to the outcomes of this election, as they are going to affect the strengthening of the Progressive Party’s local political power and, moreover, changes within the national political landscape.
In his acceptance speech, candidate Lee Seok-ha stated, “Yeonggwang-gun’s local autonomy has not provided any hope to its residents for over 30 years and has only caused disappointment,” and argued that “Yeonggwang can change only by changing the political power, not by changing one person.” He emphasized, “I’ll grow to be a county governor who will protect Yeonggwang-gun, which is the house of fifty,000 residents and a precious asset that have to be passed on to future generations.”
It is predicted that a complete of 11 candidates will run within the Yeonggwang County Governor by-election, including the Democratic Party of Korea, the Fatherland Innovation Party, the Progressive Party, and independents. Preliminary candidate registration has begun, and the official election campaign will begin on October 3 after candidate registration on September 26-27.
Early voting will happen on October tenth and eleventh, and the actual voting will happen on October sixteenth.
Reporter Yang Jun-seok kailas21@aitimes.com
