Song Young-gil wins Incheon by-election, secures sixth term in parliament

Song Young-gil, a candidate from the Democratic Party, has emerged victorious in the by-election for Incheon's Yeonsu-gap National Assembly seat, marking his return to parliament for a sixth term. The election was triggered by the resignation of Park Chan-dae, who left his seat to run for Incheon mayor.

As of early morning on June 4, with 92.70% of the ballots tallied, Song had garnered 50.63% of the vote. He decisively defeated Park Jong-jin of the People Power Party, who received 39.63%, and Jeong Seung-yeon of the Reform Party, who obtained 9.72%. Song's victory signifies a significant return to national politics for the prominent Democratic Party figure.

Song Young-gil, born in 1963 in Jeonnam, has a long political career that began during his time as student council president at Yonsei University. After passing the bar exam, he worked as a human rights lawyer before entering the National Assembly for the first time in 2000, representing the Gyeyang-gu district in Incheon. He served five consecutive terms in that district, later becoming the mayor of Incheon and the leader of the Democratic Party. He also ran for mayor of Seoul in 2022 but was defeated by Oh Se-hoon. His strategic nomination to run in Yeonsu-gap, rather than his former district of Gyeyang-eul, reflects the party's strategic decisions for this crucial by-election.