'Listening Lee · Stable Lee · Friendly Yoon · Communicative Hong'... 4 Presidential Candidates' Chuseok Public Sentiment Keywords

Lee Jae-myung Sheds Lone Wolf Image
Lee Nak-yeon Emphasizes Verified Candidate
Yoon Seok-youl to Make First Variety Show Appearance on the 19th
Hong Joon-pyo Focuses on Communication with Youth

[Photo by National Assembly Press Corps, Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok, Oh Ju-yeon, Koo Chae-eun, Park Joon-i] The Chuseok public sentiment ahead of the presidential election becomes a major turning point that can determine the election landscape. Moreover, with reduced face-to-face communication due to COVID-19, the winner of the Chuseok dinner table sentiment?where people inquire about each other's well-being and express concern for those around them?ultimately becomes the winner of the party primaries and, further, can secure a favorable position in next year's presidential election public sentiment. The big four presidential candidates from both ruling and opposition parties (Lee Jae-myung, Lee Nak-yeon, Yoon Seok-youl, Hong Joon-pyo), who are in the midst of their party primaries, are launching all-out efforts to capture the Chuseok public sentiment.

Lee Jae-myung, the ruling party’s top presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, has recently been emphasizing a ‘listening’ image to shed his lone wolf image. Originally, his trademark was the image of a ‘straight-talking, action-oriented’ administrator. The nickname ‘Soda’ (meaning refreshing) was given during his tenure as Mayor of Seongnam, referring to his clear speech and logic. On the 13th, he voluntarily held a press conference addressing the Daejang-dong preferential treatment allegations, which emerged as the last hurdle in the Democratic Party primary, and named specific media outlets, demanding they ‘step away from the Democratic Party primary and presidential election,’ which also reflects his ‘Lee Jae-myung style.’ Ahead of the Honam primary (September 25?26), he will stay in Honam for 3 nights and 4 days starting from the 16th, launching an all-out campaign for a ‘direct advance to the main election without a runoff.’

Lee Nak-yeon, former leader of the Democratic Party, who even took the drastic step of resigning his parliamentary seat, is emphasizing that he is a ‘verified candidate.’ In the Democratic Party primary, he can pressure Lee Jae-myung with the narrative of ‘unstable candidate vs. stable candidate,’ and if he advances to the main election, he can promote himself as a ‘prepared candidate,’ unlike Yoon Seok-youl, who is seen as a political prosecutor. He plans to focus on the Honam region during the Chuseok holiday to stage a dramatic comeback in the Honam primary and break Lee Jae-myung’s dominant trend. After visiting Jeju Island on the 18th, he will move to Gwangju in the evening and continue touring the Honam region until Chuseok day on the 21st to gauge public sentiment.

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl pursues somewhat contrasting images of ‘integrity’ and ‘approachability’ simultaneously. During last year’s ‘Choo-Yoon conflict,’ he stood firm at the hearing, stating, “I did not compromise with injustice,” highlighting this as his true character. On the 8th, regarding the ‘accusation tip-off suspicion,’ he raised his voice, saying, “Call me to the National Assembly.” Meanwhile, he also plans to approach the public with a friendly image around Chuseok. He will visit the conservative stronghold regions of Gyeongbuk and Gyeongnam on the 17th and 18th. On the 19th, he will make his first variety show appearance to also target the dinner table public sentiment.

Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, is adopting a strategy of positioning himself as ‘President for Everyone.’ This aims to dispel his existing negative image while solidifying support among the 20s and 30s age groups, as well as progressives and moderates. During the Chuseok holiday, Hong plans to focus especially on communication with the youth.