"Voter Sentiment Arising from Hatred of Government and Ruling Party... 'Heavy Shoulders' Felt" Opposition Emphasizes 'Humility' After Landslide Victory in Seoul and Busan Mayoral Elections

People Power Party's Landslide Victory... Seoul's Oh Se-hoon 57.5%, Busan's Park Hyung-joon 62.67%
Opposition: "Victory stems from ruling party's failures," "We will remain humble without arrogance"

On the 7th, Oh Se-hoon, candidate for Seoul mayor (left), and Park Hyung-joon, candidate for Busan mayor (right), are each receiving bouquets and expressing joy. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] The People Power Party expressed joy over their landslide victory in the April 7 by-elections but also showed humility by stating, "We must remember that this victory came as a result of the ruling party's failures."

On the 8th, Bae Jun-young, spokesperson for the People Power Party, released a statement saying, "We understand that this victory is more a triumph of the 'power of the people' than of the 'People Power Party' itself. Today's overwhelming victory fully stems from the 'power of the people' who supported the People Power Party," adding, "We are deeply aware that the votes cast today reflect the public's anger toward the current administration and politics, which makes our responsibility even heavier."

He continued, "We only think about being more humble and working harder from now on," and said, "We will correct the administrations of Seoul and Busan properly. We will show how we differ from our predecessors."

He added, "We will continue to undergo a thorough transformation and listen to the voices of those who did not vote for us, striving to become a People Power Party for all," emphasizing, "Since the path has been paved today, we, the People Power Party, will lead the way and faithfully follow the mandate to change the exhausted administration."

Jung Jin-seok, a five-term lawmaker of the People Power Party, wrote on Facebook, "The angry public sentiment has judged the hypocritical and incompetent administration that practices double standards. The citizens of Seoul and Busan have brought the arrogant administration to its knees," and said, "Public sentiment has shaken violently like never before. While our party has fulfilled a long-cherished wish, we are only fearful in the face of this tidal wave of public sentiment."

He went on, "The People Power Party's victory resulted from the ruling party's mismanagement and the resulting collateral benefits. Therefore, this is not a time for celebration," evaluating, "It is the combined result of public outrage over the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) speculation scandal, disgust toward the incompetent and hypocritical administration, and expectations for former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl."

He also said, "The people's fervent desire to 'end the incompetent and hypocritical administration' and 'put an end to tyranny' rings loudly in our ears," and pledged, "We will resolve to respond to and comply with the great will of the people. We will not cheer wildly but will tighten our shoelaces once again."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is answering reporters' questions after paying respects at the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul on the 8th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Yoo Ui-dong, another lawmaker from the same party, also wrote on Facebook, "We cannot help but be happy about this victory after consecutive defeats," but pointed out, "This election is not a victory for the People Power Party but a defeat for the Moon Jae-in administration and the Democratic Party. It was not a victory earned by our own scoring but a strong red card issued by the people, angered by the Moon administration's hypocrisy, arrogance, and incompetence, to the ruling party."

He continued, "The Moon administration is essentially dead. The Moon government is over," emphasizing, "Now the people will watch the main opposition party, the People Power Party, with wide-open eyes and cold scrutiny."

Additionally, Yoo stated, "The people will observe whether we celebrate the by-election victory with champagne and complacency or pursue greater change and reform," and argued, "We must fiercely fight among ourselves to implement the changes and reforms the people desire."

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min also raised his voice, saying, "We will never be complacent and will pursue the change and innovation the people long for," and added, "Public sentiment is both formidable and wise. Our party must accurately read the message from the people expressed in the election."

Through his Facebook, he emphasized, "(This election result) reflects votes cast not because the opposition is better but because the government and ruling party are disliked," and said, "Without any illusions or complacency, we will humbly carry out the reforms the people want."

Meanwhile, the People Power Party won both the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections held on April 7. According to the National Election Commission, in the Seoul mayoral by-election, candidate Oh received 2,798,788 votes (57.50%), defeating Park Young-sun of the Democratic Party, who received 1,907,336 votes (39.18%). The vote difference between the two candidates was 891,452 votes, with a vote share gap of 18.32 percentage points.

In the Busan mayoral by-election, Park Hyung-joon of the People Power Party won with 961,576 votes (62.67%), beating Democratic Party candidate Kim Young-chun, who received 528,135 votes (34.42%). The vote difference was 433,441 votes, with a vote share gap of 28.25 percentage points.