Seoul: The ruling Democratic Party (DP) announced on Thursday its selection of Chong Won-o, a former chief of Seoul's Seongdong district, as its candidate for the upcoming Seoul mayoral election scheduled for June 3.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Chong Won-o secured a decisive victory in the party's main primary, surpassing three-term lawmakers Park Ju-min and Jeon Hyeon-hui. Chong's win in the primary was achieved without the need for a runoff, as confirmed by Rep. So Byung-hoon, who heads the party's election committee. The primary process, conducted over three days starting Tuesday, relied on a combination of party member votes and public opinion polls to determine the winner.

Chong began his political career in 2000 as an aide to a National Assembly member. He first became the chief of Seongdong district in the 2014 local elections and successfully served three consecutive terms. His leadership garnered significant public approval, as evidenced by a survey shared by President Lee Jae Myung on social media platform X, where 93 percent of respondents expressed satisfaction with Chong's performance.

Meanwhile, the main opposition People Power Party is conducting its primary race among current Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, freshman lawmaker Park Soo-min, and former lawmaker Yun Hee-suk. Following a debate scheduled for Friday, the party is expected to announce its Seoul mayoral candidate next week. Oh Se-hoon is widely considered the frontrunner among conservative candidates in this race.