Yangju Mayoral Election: Party-by-Party Candidate Suitability: People Power Party's Kang Soo-hyun Solidifies Dominance, Democratic Party's Jung Deok-young and Park Jae-man Face Chaotic Two-Way Race
Mayor Kang Soo-hyun leads the party by 4.5 times... The Democratic Party maintains a dominant position based on the "incumbent premium," with Jung Deok-young (19.4%) and Park Jae-man (14.9%) in a close race... The 48.4% swing vote is key.
[Break News Yangju=Kim Wan-young] Ahead of the 9th nationwide local elections on June 3, 2026, the Yangju mayoral election is showing a clear contrast from the outset. According to opinion polls, the People Power Party is solidifying its "one-man system" centered around incumbent Mayor Kang Soo-hyun, while the Democratic Party is in a "two-man system" centered around former Yangju City Council Chairman Jung Deok-young and former Gyeonggi Provincial Councilor Park Jae-man. The fate of the swing vote is emerging as the biggest variable.
According to a survey conducted by the polling firm R&Search from January 1st to 3rd among men and women aged 18 and older residing in Yangju City, incumbent Mayor Kang Soo-hyun took an overwhelming lead in the People Power Party's candidate suitability rankings, with 29.4%. This gap, 22.9 percentage points or nearly 4.5 times that of second-place candidate Lee Se-jong, former People Power Party Yangju District Committee Chairman (6.5%), effectively positions him far ahead of the competition within the party.
Following him were Park Jong-seong, current Vice Chairman of the People Power Party's Gyeonggi Provincial Committee (6.4%), and former Gyeonggi Provincial Council Member Kim Si-gap (4.9%). However, the significant gap between them suggests a relatively low level of tension in the party primary. The fact that Mayor Kang's suitability rating reached 48.2% among People Power Party supporters suggests a growing consensus among conservatives for his re-election.
Mayor Kang's strength was also evident across age groups and regions. He received strong support from those in their 60s (38.1%) and those aged 70 and over (40.8%), and also secured a stable support base in towns and counties such as Baekseok, Gwangjeok, and Jangheung, recording 38.3%. Local political circles interpret this as "the result of voters prioritizing administrative continuity and stability, combined with the incumbent's premium."
Conversely, the Democratic Party of Korea, despite its lead in party approval ratings, is facing a close race in the nomination race. In a candidate suitability survey, former Chairman Jeong Deok-yeong maintained his lead with 19.4%, but former Provincial Assemblyman Park Jae-man closely followed with 14.9%, within the margin of error, forming a clear "two-way race." The gap between the two candidates is only 4.5 percentage points.
Even within the Democratic Party's base, support is split between former Chairman Jeong (28.9%) and former Assemblyman Park (22.2%), with no clear trend toward either party. In particular, 48.4% of respondents reserved their choice, choosing "other candidates" (17.3%), "no suitable candidates" (24.3%), and "don't know" (24.1%). This suggests that a significant portion of Democratic Party supporters are maintaining a cautious stance regarding the candidates' qualifications and competitiveness in the general election.
In terms of party support, the Democratic Party of Korea led the People Power Party (33.5%) by a margin of error, with 41.9%. By age group, the Democratic Party was highly supportive among voters in their 30s (52.0%), 40s (56.0%), and 50s (46.9%), while the People Power Party held the upper hand among voters in their 60s (41.0%) and those aged 70 and over (56.4%), reaffirming the typical generational divide.
Notably, despite the People Power Party's lower approval rating, Mayor Kang Soo-hyun's candidate suitability (29.4%) closely mirrored his party's approval rating (33.5%). This is interpreted as a sign of Mayor Kang's personal competitiveness.
Local political circles are focusing on the potential clash between the "proven stability of city administration" and the "change advocated for generational change" in the upcoming Yangju mayoral election. While the People Power Party is strengthening its unity around the undisputed leader, Kang Soo-hyun, the Democratic Party is focusing on selecting a competitive candidate who can translate its high approval rating into actual voter support, a key challenge that will determine the future course of events.
[Survey Overview]
Survey Agency: R&Search
Survey Period: January 1-3, 2026 (3 days)
Survey Subjects: 502 men and women aged 18 and older residing in Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do
Survey Method: Mobile virtual number (99.0%), landline RDD (1.0%), automated response system (ARS)
Margin of error: ±4.4% at a 95% confidence level (response rate 5.9%)
Statistical Correction: Weighted values (cell weighting) based on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's resident registration population as of the end of November 2025
* For more information, please refer to the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.
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