Seoul: The ruling Democratic Party (DP) has announced the nomination of two former senior presidential officials as candidates for the upcoming parliamentary by-elections, which are set to coincide with the local elections in June. Ha Jung-woo, who previously served as the presidential secretary for artificial intelligence (AI) policy and future planning, has been selected to contest a parliamentary seat in the Buk-A constituency in Busan on June 3.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Ha is expected to succeed former lawmaker Chun Jae-soo and is seen as a strong candidate due to his local roots, having attended primary and secondary school in Buk Ward. The election in this constituency is anticipated to be highly competitive, featuring a three-way race between Ha, Han Dong-hoon, an independent and former head of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), and a potential PPP candidate, possibly former Veterans Minister Park Min-shik.

Ha Jung-woo has the backing of President Lee Jae Myung, who has fondly dubbed him "Ha-GPT," in reference to ChatGPT, a widely recognized generative AI service by OpenAI. Rep. Kang Jun-hyeon, the DP's senior spokesperson, expressed confidence in Ha's ability to advance AI-related legislation if elected.

In addition to Ha, the DP has also nominated former presidential spokesperson Jeon Eun-soo to run for the Asan constituency in South Chungcheong Province. The by-elections will fill fourteen parliamentary seats and are viewed as a critical test of public support for the Lee administration since its inception in June of the previous year.