With the presidential election now in the rearview mirror, political parties are gearing up for the upcoming local elections, in which 17 mayoral and gubernatorial seats as well as posts for numerous local council members and education chiefs are up for grabs. Following the victory in the presidential election, the conservative People Power Party (PPP) has set its sights on a repeat in the quadrennial elections, scheduled for June 1, while the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is seeking to end its unsuccessful election run of late. The ruling party also lost last year's mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan.