Cho Kuk, leader of the minor progressive Rebuilding Korea Party, speaks to reporters at his campaign office in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, early Thursday after conceding defeat in the parliamentary by-election for the Pyeongtaek-B constituency. Yonhap
Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP), failed in his bid to return to parliament in the by-election held alongside Wednesday's local elections, dealing a heavy blow to his political career.
According to the National Election Commission, main opposition People Power Party (PPP) candidate Yoo Ui-dong won the by-election for the Pyeongtaek-B constituency in Gyeonggi Province with 34.83 percent of the vote, based on vote-counting results as of 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate Kim Yong-nam came in second with 28.77 percent, while Cho came third with 27.24 percent.
Cho conceded defeat at his campaign office around 3 a.m. after Yoo's victory became certain.
"The top priority of this election was to realize a 'zero PPP' outcome. While meaningful progress was made nationwide, we failed to fulfill that mandate in Pyeongtaek. The responsibility lies entirely with me," Cho told reporters.
The defeat marked a setback in Cho's attempt to revive his political career after losing his parliamentary seat in December 2024.
Cho entered the National Assembly as a proportional representative in the 2024 general elections, but lost his seat later that year after the Supreme Court upheld a two-year prison sentence on charges that included academic fraud involving his children.
He returned to lead the party in August 2025, days after being released from prison under a presidential pardon.
Cho rose to prominence under former President Moon Jae-in, serving as a senior presidential aide before being appointed justice minister in 2019. He resigned weeks after taking office amid a scandal involving him and his family.
Source: Korea Times News
