Democratic Party's landslide victory in Jeonbuk reveals weakened competition and deepening monopoly

At the 9th local elections, the Democratic Party of Korea virtually swept the Jeonbuk governor race, the heads of all 14 cities and counties, and a majority of the regional assembly seats, once again confirming its political dominance in the region. On the 5th, the National Election Commission's vote count showed that Democratic Party candidate Lee Wontaek was elected governor of Jeonbuk, defeating independent candidate Kim Kwanyoung by 9.44 percentage points. The Jeonbuk governor election was held as the most fiercely contested race in history, but the final result came down in favor of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party won all 14 mayor and county chief districts and secured 42 of the 44 seats in the Jeonbuk Provincial Council. In many of these districts, candidates were elected unopposed without a vote, raising concerns about favoritism toward a specific party and a reduction in voters' choices. The Rebuilding Korea Party and the Progressive Party elected some lowerlevel council members, but the People Power Party managed only one proportional representation seat in the regional assembly.