The Upcoming General Election in South Korea 

The South Korean 22nd general election will be held on April 10, 2024. Thus, each political party is busy formulating election strategies. The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are gearing up for a fierce battle. Meanwhile, Lee Jun-seok, the former chief of the PPP, and Lee Nak-yon, the former prime minister and leader of the DPK, have surprisingly cooperated to establish the New Reform Party (NRP). However, they are in conflict over who will lead in the election.

  Each party began the nomination process to decide who will run for the National Assembly in each constituency. Han Dong-hoon, head of the PPP’s Interim Steering Committee and a figure gaining popularity, is advocating for a single nomination to focus on a promising candidate, while Lee Jae-myung, a leader of the DPK, proposed a reshuffling of nominations, leading to disharmony within the party.

  The number of seats each party will gain in the election is crucial because the practical power that each party can exercise depends on the number of seats. The PPP aims to stay far ahead of the opposition party. For the DPK, it is important to gain a majority of the parliamentary seats. The introduction of the NRP as a third party might be a factor affecting the DPK, as it provides another choice for swing voters. The NRP aims to gain more than 30 seats to challenge the two major parties, though the possibility remains uncertain.