The Democratic Party launched a campaign targeting three incarcerated individuals on the final day of early voting for June 2024 local elections [1].

The move signals a high-stakes effort to mobilize the party's base and strengthen the political position of President Lee Jae-myung. By framing the election as a moral imperative, the party seeks to consolidate power in traditional strongholds.

Campaign efforts focused heavily on the Honam region, including Jeonnam island and inland areas [1]. Party leader Jung Chung-rae said the election is a fight to extinguish the remnants of civil war. He said voters must support Democratic Party candidates to achieve this goal [1].

The focus on the three prisoners [1] has become a central point of contention between the two major political factions. The Democratic Party argues that the electoral outcome will determine the direction of the country's governance, and the removal of old political influences.

The People Power Party responded to the campaign by labeling the strategy an "arrogant power judgement" [1]. Representatives of the party said the Democratic Party's focus on the prisoners constitutes an overreach of power.

This clash highlights the deep polarization within the South Korean political landscape. While the Democratic Party utilizes the imagery of the "prison trio" to rally supporters, the opposition views the tactic as a misuse of political influence to target specific individuals.

““This is an election to remove the remaining embers of civil war.””

This campaign strategy reflects a trend of using judicial outcomes and the status of incarcerated political figures as mobilization tools. By tying the local elections to the fate of the 'prison trio,' the Democratic Party is attempting to transform a regional administrative vote into a national referendum on political legitimacy and justice.