As the deadline for public officials to resign to run in the June 3 local elections has passed, the outlines of the election landscape are gradually becoming clearer. The Democratic Party announced that it has confirmed Kim Kyung-soo as its sole candidate for the Gyeongsangnam-do governor role, following the selection of Woo Sang-ho for Gangwon Province and Park Chan-dae for Incheon Mayor. Kim, who previously won the Gyeongsangnam-do governor seat in 2018 before losing it due to the 'Druking' opinion manipulation incident, emphasized his commitment to the development of Gyeongsangnam-do, stating that serving the region is a way to repay his debt to the citizens.

The electoral competition is also shaping up in the Seoul mayoral race, where Jeong Won-oh, a former district mayor from the Democratic Party, recently resigned and registered as a preliminary candidate. A number of other Democratic Party members, including Kim Young-bae, Park Joo-min, and Jeon Hyun-hee, have also declared their candidacies, focusing on issues such as affordable housing and bridging pension gaps for middle-aged individuals. On the opposition side, incumbent five-term Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is seen as a strong candidate, as former lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook officially declared her candidacy under the slogan 'economic market' just a day prior.

Looking at other key elections, the Gyeonggi Province governorship will see competition between current governor Kim Dong-yeon and other prominent candidates, while the Incheon mayoral race is anticipated to be a direct confrontation between Park Chan-dae from the Democratic Party and current mayor Yoo Jeong-bok from the National Power party. Meanwhile, the Gangwon governorship will feature a matchup between Woo Sang-ho of the Democratic Party and current governor Kim Jin-tae from the National Power party, indicating a highly competitive election season ahead.