The first local elections under the Moon Jae-in administration will be held in just eight days from now.<br />The race for mayor, governor and education superintendent jobs is mainly seen as a competition between the two biggest parties -- the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.<br />Today,.. we are going to look at what's at stake for the rival parties on June 13th.<br />Our political correspondent Kim Min-ji reports.<br /><br /> The race is on for the leadership of 17 of South Korea's metropolitan cities or provinces.<br /> In the last local elections back in 2014,... the New Politics Alliance for Democracy -- the current ruling Democratic Party of Korea,... had 9 mayors or governors elected,... while the Saenuri Party -- now, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party secured 8. <br /> This time around, the local elections will be seen as barometer of public sentiment about the Moon Jae-in administration,... given that its the first nationwide election since he took office in May last year.<br />The ruling party is trying to add to the nine they have already,... while the main opposition is out to secure at least six posts.<br /><br /> "The most keenly watched areas for this year's local elections are traditional conservative strongholds, like here in Gyeongsangnam-do Province. These are the races to watch as the ruling party is riding the wave of the Moon Jae-in administration’s high approval rating and there are serious questions about whether the main opposition will be able to survive the onslaught."<br /><br /> In fact, southern regions held by the conservatives have been a focal point of the ruling party's campaign -- with the party's leadership using most of their time so far... supporting their candidates there.<br />With the exception of two regions leaning towards the conservative party,... some polls show liberal candidates are in the lead.<br />The ruling party has been calling for support from the people to get the policies of the Moon Jae-in government rolling in the conservative-held areas.<br /><br /> "If you pick candidates from the main opposition, it's a vote that allows and shows support for corruption. It won't be of any help to the public."<br /><br /> At the same time, the main opposition party is making the case that they know best how to deal with the affairs of the region.<br />The leadership of the conservative party has also been out on the streets nationwide,... calling on people not to be blinded by polls -- claiming they are innaccurate.<br />The party says that the current government is focusing only on developments regarding North Korea... while the country's economy is in the doldrums.<br /><br /> "Nothing is being done right here in our country, while the president doing nothing but work on Kim Jong-un. He is not thinking of reviving our economy, but focusing on boosting North Korea's economy."<br /><br />As it stands now,... most experts say the environment is looking favorable for the ruling party.<br /><br /> "The main opposition party hasn't been able to build enough trust in
