Election fever is heating up as the People Power Party has decided to run an all-out campaign by running a candidate in next month’s by-election for the head of Gangseo-gu, Seoul.
It is considered a prelude to next year’s general election in that it is an election that provides a glimpse into the public sentiment in the metropolitan area. Regardless of the ruling or opposition party, if they lose, a blow to the party level is inevitable.
Reporter Kim Kyung-soo reports.
[Reporter]
The People Power Party, which was considering participating in next month’s by-election for the head of Gangseo-gu, Seoul, finally decided to field a candidate.
Although this is a by-election due to the conviction of former district mayor Kim Tae-woo, it is not former district mayor Kim’s fault.
[Kim Ki-hyun / Representative of the People Power Party (last 6th): According to our party constitution and rules, this does not apply to cases of non-nomination due to the by-election. This issue arose due to a mistake committed by Supreme Court Kim Myeong-
soo.] He also targeted the Democratic Party, which had previously strategically nominated a single candidate, saying it would select a candidate fairly.
[Lee Cheol-gyu / Secretary General of the People Power Party (last 8th): Development of Gangseo-gu We will determine who is the most suitable person for this as our top priority. Like the Democratic Party of Korea, we will not select candidates based on the arbitrary judgment of the party leader and leadership.]
Even if the primary election is held, the prevailing view is that former district mayor Kim, who was pardoned and reinstated by President Yoon Seok-yeol, will run again.
Former district mayor Kim is also strengthening his will to run again, saying the ruling was wrong.
[Kim Tae-woo / Former mayor of Gangseo-gu, Seoul (8th, CBS)(Radio ‘Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show’): It was due to a ruling that was wrong in terms of content and procedure. So, hasn’t party leader Kim Ki-hyun recently said that Kim Tae-woo is politically innocent?]
If former district mayor Kim, a former prosecutor and investigator, is confirmed as a candidate, he is expected to form a confrontation between the prosecution and the police along with Democratic Party candidate Jin Kyo-hoon, a former deputy chief of the National Police Agency.
[Jin Kyo-hoon / Democratic Party candidate for Gangseo-gu Office, Seoul (last 6th): Due to this by-election, 4 billion won of residents’ taxes will be wasted. Isn’t it true that a player who has been ejected from the playground for a foul cannot play again?]
As the draw is revealed, the war of nerves between the ruling and opposition parties is already heating up.
[Kang Min-guk / Chief Spokesperson of the People Power Party (last 7th): There is no reason for the Communist Party not to recommend candidates for the by-election. Second, the Democratic Party is actually more responsible for this Gangseo by-election.]
[Park Seong-jun / Spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea (last 6th): If Kim Tae-woo’s nomination is pushed forward, the public’s support for the ruling party, which is completely ignoring public sentiment and ‘wishing for good sentiments’, will increase. You will have to be prepared for a harsh judgment.]
Although it is a matter of electing one head of a basic organization, it carries a special weight because it is the only election before next year’s general election and an opportunity to get a glimpse of the public sentiment in the metropolitan area, which is considered a decisive battleground.
[Lee Jae-myeong / Representative of the Democratic Party of Korea 안전놀이터(last 6th): I think the Gangseo-gu mayor election will be the prelude to that. As a Democratic Party, we must win.]
[Kim Seong-tae / Former People Power Party member (last 6th): The Gangseo-gu mayor election is the only by-election held six months ahead of the general election in April next year. Regardless of whether this party or that party is involved, these results serve as a gauge.]
In particular, since the leadership’s judgment was at play in the nomination process, responsibility for the results cannot be avoided, so the losing party must be prepared for internal repercussions.
Both the People Power Party and the Democratic Party are anticipating that this will be an election worth running, but the distribution of votes due to independent candidates running and the performance of third-party candidates are considered variables.
The by-election for Gangseo-gu mayor in Seoul, which has become more complex with the participation of two major parties, will be held on the 11th of next month.
The political world’s attention is focused on a battle that both the ruling and opposition parties cannot compromise on.
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