Anchor: With less than three weeks remaining until the April 10 general elections, the main opposition Democratic Party is hoping to continue its dominance in the progressive stronghold of the Jeolla provinces while the ruling People Power Party is vowing to find a way to win over voters in the region. In today's installment of our series on the regional political landscape, our Choi You Sun examines where things stand for the two major parties and other minority parties in the North and South Jeolla regions.  

Report: During the previous 2020 general elections, the main opposition Democratic Party(DP) declared victory in all 27 districts within its traditional stronghold of the southwestern city of Gwangju, North and South Jeolla Provinces. 

Compared to past elections, the DP has a higher turnover rate of incumbent members with newcomers in candidacy nominations for the upcoming general elections. In Gwangju, seven out of eight candidates are political rookies.

Chonnam National University Professor Choi Eun-jeung says the DP’s decision to switch incumbent members with newcomers has to do with the nomination process favoring candidates supportive of party leader Lee Jae-myung.

[Sound bite: Prof Choi Eun-jeung - Chonnam National University]
"The nomination system heavily favors newcomers and candidates who aligned with its leader Lee Jae-myung. They award excessive points to newcomers with experience in high-ranking government positions such as senior prosecutors and deducted too many points from incumbent candidates who received poor evaluation across various aspects of their performance."

In the case of Jeonju C district, where incumbent DP Rep. Kim Sung-ju was eliminated in the primaries, former unification minister and party candidate Chung Dong-young will face off against the ruling People Power Party's(PPP) Jeon Hee-jae in his third attempt at entering the National Assembly.

Determined to challenge the DP's political dominance in the region, the PPP has put forth a candidate in all 28 districts in the Honam area for the first time in 16 years, with the aim of winning at least three, one each in Gwangju, North Jeolla Province and South Jeolla Province.

In the previous 2020 general elections, the predecessor of the PPP, the United Future Party, had only nominated candidates in two out of eight seats in Gwangju. 

Anticipating an uphill battle, the PPP put forward Lee Jung-hyun, former head of the main conservative party and a close aide of former President Park Geun-hye in the electoral district of Suncheon, Gwangyang, Gokseong, and Gurye in South Jeolla. Lee will face former presidential secretary Kwon Hyang-yup of the DP.  

PPP chief Han Dong-hoon stressed during his campaign in the South Jeolla Province, that if the PPP wins in the three regions on April 10, it would be a victory for the entire country.

Meanwhile, there had been conflict within the conservative party during its selection of proportional representation candidates. Some of the candidates in the Jeolla region even vowed to drop out of the race if the PPP does not reconsider the proportional representation list, claiming it is unfair towards candidates in the region who have thrown in their hats into the ring despite the long odds.  

Outside the realm of the two major parties, the Rebuilding Korea Party, led by former justice minister Cho Kuk, is anticipating gaining up to 15 proportional representation seats backed by support in the Jeolla region. 

[Sound bite: Prof Choi Eun-jeung - Chonnam National University] 
"Many progressives or Democratic Party supporters remain dissatisfied with Lee's leadership and policy direction. The situation is similar in both Gwangju and Jeolla region. These individuals are likely to cast their votes for the Rebuilding Korea Party, led by Cho Kuk, former minister of justice, who has presented a clear and justifiable platform."

Following the two-day candidate registrations, the official 13-day campaign period will take place from March 28 to April 9.

Come April 10, all eyes will be on whether the DP indeed maintains its grip on its traditional stronghold or if other parties will be able to make a dent in the region. 

Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.