Choi Jae-hyung Trapped in a Samyeonchoga... Uncertain Path to the Presidential Election

After Camp Disbandment, Independent Actions and Consecutive Controversies
Even Jeong Eui-hwa, a Strong Supporter, Turns Away

On the 22nd, Choi Jae-hyung, former Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection and a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, announced his position regarding the allegations related to 'Hwacheon Daeyu,' the developer of the Daejang-dong development project, in connection with Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province and presidential candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, at the election campaign office in Yeouido, Seoul. 2021.9.22 Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party who embarked on an independent path after disbanding his campaign, appears to be in a desperate situation. Recently, he actively expressed conservative values and sought to appeal to hardline supporters, but he faced much criticism for inconsistent remarks and claims that were out of touch with public opinion. As a result, even Jeong Ui-hwa, former Speaker of the National Assembly, and Kim Mi-ae, a People Power Party lawmaker who had supported him, have turned their backs, making his presidential bid seem uncertain.

Kim Jun-ho, spokesperson for Choi’s campaign, said in a phone interview with this outlet on the 24th, "The campaign has been reduced to less than half its original size," adding, "Those who remain are trying their best with the mindset of making it work properly." Regarding recent actions, he explained, "After the campaign disbanded, Choi intends to directly propose agendas and take the lead in action."

The day before, Choi held a press conference and announced a full reconsideration of the construction of the Busan Gadukdo New Airport. This reversed his statement made just a week earlier during a visit to Busan, where he pledged to ensure the Gadukdo New Airport project would proceed without setbacks. On the 22nd, he also added to the controversy over the April 15 election fraud by mentioning "abnormal ballots." Allegations of election fraud are an issue mainly raised by Hwang Kyo-ahn, former leader of the United Future Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party), while other presidential candidates and party leadership have largely ignored it. Previously, Choi was criticized for hastily addressing highly divisive issues such as the complete abolition of inheritance tax and the eradication of abortion.

Meanwhile, former Speaker Jeong officially withdrew his support for Choi by stepping down from his position as co-honorary campaign committee chairman the day before. Kim, who served as head of the Women and Family General Headquarters before the campaign disbanded, also expressed disappointment by opposing the call for a full reconsideration of the Gadukdo New Airport.

Currently, in various opinion polls, Choi remains at a support rate in the 1% range. According to a poll conducted by Hankook Research commissioned by KBS from the 16th to the 18th, Choi ranked ninth with 1.0% in the "suitability as next presidential candidate" category (telephone interviews with 1,000 adults nationwide, 15% response rate, margin of error ±3.1 percentage points at 95% confidence level. For detailed information, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website).