[On-site in] "Jeonggwon-eun bakkaya andoemnikkka" "Jaktagi-man kkojado Gukhim airakai" Boiling Busan Public Sentiment

Lee Jae-myung, Democratic Party Presidential Candidate
On-site Campaign at Changseon Samgeori, Busan on the 7th
Up to 5,000 People Gathered, Chanting Lee Jae-myung's Name

[Busan = Reporter Gu Chae-eun] At 1:15 p.m. on the 7th, in front of Busan Gwangbok-ro Fashion Street, hundreds of people were gathered tightly in front of the campaign vehicle of Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea. It was a crowd waiting for Candidate Lee. Right after the report of the attack incident on Party Leader Song Young-gil around 11 a.m. that day, the security personnel and staff, who had become even more stringent, surrounded the campaign stage with a large tape. The crowd of Busan citizens, which started from Gwangbok-ro Fashion Street, was so densely packed from Changseon Samgeori intersection to Gudeok-ro 34beon-gil and Gwangbok-ro 67beon-gil that movement was difficult due to congestion.

At the campaign site at Changseon Samgeori in Busan that day, the police estimated about 2,000 people, and the Democratic Party of Korea estimated about 5,000 people gathered. Busan citizens waited for Candidate Lee while looking toward Gwangbok Jungang-ro, where his vehicle would enter. They also cheered for the candidate holding blue cloths with phrases such as ‘Mireo Bbuja’ (Let's push), ‘Jalhalkkida’ (He will do well), and ‘Wairijohno’ (How nice). Placards with messages like ‘Day 1 from today #UnifyWithThePeople’, ‘A president who will realize the national responsibility system for developmental disabilities’, and ‘Jeolbak Jaemyung, sorry for being deceived by the fabrications so farㅠㅠ’ were also noticeable. Some citizens climbed onto tree flower pots to take photos while waiting for the candidate.

At 1:40 p.m., when Candidate Lee stepped onto the stage, the crowd erupted in cheers. Some citizens shouted, ‘Lee Jae-myung is handsome’ and ‘His charisma is amazing.’ Candidate Lee moved around the T-shaped stage, making heart shapes with his arms, giving thumbs up, and raising both arms in a cheer, to which the citizens responded with applause.

In his Busan campaign speech, Candidate Lee promised, “We will swiftly create the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) Mega City and firmly establish the southern metropolitan economic capital.” He said, “The entire South Korean economy is struggling, but due to the one-polarization of the metropolitan area, Busan’s economy is very difficult. Now, balanced investment and balanced development between the regions must open the future of this country. We will make large-scale infrastructure and education investments in the regions.”

He also mentioned the Busan Savings Bank incident. After finishing the focused campaign, he stated, “We resolved the Busan Savings Bank illegal loan case through Yoon Seok-yeol and Park Young-soo,” emphasizing, “The truth about the Busan Savings Bank incident, which caused nearly 40,000 victims, is coming to light. Lies cannot overcome the truth.”

The reactions of citizens who watched Candidate Lee’s speech near the campaign area that day were generally favorable. Many Democratic Party supporters wore blue hats, masks, or scarves. Mr. Kim (66), whom we met in front of Evadon Katsu at Changseon Samgeori, said, “In the past, even just putting a stick would mean the Grand National Party, but not anymore. PK (Busan-Gyeongnam) and TK (Daegu-Gyeongbuk) are a bit different. Now, the support ratio between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party is about 4:6.” When asked about the presidential election sentiment in the area in front of Changseon Police Center on Gwangbok Jungang-ro, Mr. Jang (50) said, “I really like Lee Jae-myung. Even after 10 years, the Busan Savings Bank incident is still vivid, so I don’t like Yoon Seok-yeol.”

There were also quite a few people who expressed disappointment with candidate Ahn Cheol-soo, who is from Busan. Mr. Sung (47), whom we met in front of ABC Mart on Gwangbok Jungang-ro, said, “Ahn Cheol-soo is really a pie. If he had completed the race, I would have voted for him next time even if he lost this time, but I was disappointed. Also, I don’t like seeing him going around calling himself ‘the son-in-law of Jeolla Province.’” Some citizens also mentioned the attack incident on former Party Leader Song Young-gil that happened that morning. Mr. Kim (66) said, “In this situation, the party leader might be insignificant, but such things should not happen.”

However, the atmosphere changed once outside the campaign area. Mr. Park (58), whom we met in the alley of Gwangbok-ro in Busan, said, “Since the Mayor Oh Geo-don incident, the Democratic Party’s sentiment in Busan is still not good. Since the top two cities nationwide are like that, many people are disappointed.” Mr. Jung (66), who has been a taxi driver in Busan for 30 years, said, “I also have a sister-in-law, but who would talk to her like that? When I listen to customers, they all say they support Yoon Seok-yeol.”

There was also criticism about the Central Election Commission’s poor management of early voting for confirmed COVID-19 patients. Mr. Park (55), who calls himself a ‘Busan native,’ said, “Wow, they put ballots marked for Lee Jae-myung in there? They keep doing such things, so the people cannot vote for the ruling party.” A citizen met at Gwangbok-ro 67beon-gil in Busan said, “The president met with Kim Jong-un, but what has changed? Look at the Ukraine situation. If a country is strong, others would approach it. It’s hopeless. Nothing has been done properly, so the regime needs to be changed once.”

Meanwhile, the early voting rate for this presidential election in the Busan area was also recorded at 34.25%, setting a new record high. Out of 2,921,510 eligible voters, 1,000,499 had voted. This surpasses the 23.19% in the 19th presidential election in 2017 and the 25.52% in the 21st general election in 2020. By region, Dong-gu had the highest rate at 38.23%, followed by Geumjeong-gu at 37.13%, and Seo-gu at 37.11%. The area with the lowest early voting rate was Gijang-gun, recording 28.57%, the only district among Busan’s 16 districts and counties to have a voting rate in the 20% range.