[Report] 4·5 By-elections 'No Man's Land' Jeonju Eul... Progressives vs Independents Fierce Battle

Jeonju Voters Say "No Interest in Election"
Predict Possible Victory for Democratic Party Faction
Close Poll Between Progressive Party and Independents

"No matter who wins, it won't be Yeoge (the People Power Party candidate)"

On the drizzly spring day of the 23rd, in front of the Jeonbuk Bank Anhaenggyo Branch in Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, a Jeonju citizen watching the departure ceremony of Kim Kyung-min, the People Power Party candidate running for the April 5th by-election for the National Assembly seat in Jeonju-eul, said this and left the scene. The new leadership of the People Power Party, including Representative Kim Ki-hyun, visited the Jeonju campaign office to hold an on-site Supreme Council meeting to support candidate Kim. The departure ceremony was accompanied by key Honam politicians within the party such as Supreme Council member Kim Byung-min and Congressman Jung Woon-cheon, but public sentiment remained cold. Mr. Park Won-gyu emphasized, "No matter how much I turn my heart to the Democratic Party because of the issue with Congressman Lee Sang-jik, I will not vote if the People Power Party candidate wins," adding, "If the People Power Party candidate wins, I will leave Jeonju."

Amid Political Apathy, "If People Power Party Wins, I'll Leave Jeonju"

Jeonju-eul is the only district electing a National Assembly member in the nationwide by-elections held on the 5th of next month. The election is being held because former Democratic Party Congressman Lee Sang-jik was sentenced to a suspended prison term last year for violating the Public Official Election Act. The Democratic Party took responsibility for the by-election and did not nominate a candidate, but former Democratic Party members Lim Jong-yeop and Kim Ho-seo left the party and ran as independents. Lim previously served as the mayor of Wanju County, and Kim was a former secretary-general of the Democratic Party's Jeonbuk Provincial Party. The People Power Party nominated Kim Kyung-min, who ran for Jeonju mayor in last year's local elections and received over 15% of the vote, while the Progressive Party nominated Kang Sung-hee, former chair of the Jeonbuk Provincial Party's Livelihood Special Committee. Additionally, independents Ahn Hae-wook and Kim Kwang-jong also ran.

On the first official day of the April 5th by-election campaign, most voters met in Jeonju city said they were "not interested in this election." Although the election is just two weeks away, many Jeonju citizens said they had not decided whom to vote for. This seemed to be due to the Democratic Party's non-nomination and growing political disgust. Kwon, in his 20s, who runs a cafe in Hyoja-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, said, "I'm a native of Jeonju, but I don't even know who came out," adding, "I will vote, but I am not very interested in politics." Kim, 60, who runs a shoe store in Jeonju's Western Market, said, "I will not vote. I hate them all because they are liars."

Mr. Kang, 81, who has been selling goods at a market stall for 30 years, said, "In the past, I used to vote diligently for the Democratic Party, but this time no one is running." He hinted, "People don't care because there is no Democratic Party candidate. Market people are not welcoming to the candidates."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"To Make a Living, We Need to Attract Industrial Complexes"

The background of the cold public sentiment is the harsh local economy. Jeonju, the largest city in Jeollabuk-do, has no large corporations and relies on tourism. The regional gross domestic product is less than 16 trillion won, about half that of Gwangju. Since 2010, the population has steadily declined, falling below 650,000 this year. Mr. Kang, 57, who runs a street food stall, lamented, "Jeonju needs at least one big factory to survive," adding, "There are no floods or typhoons here, but there are no factories. So cars go to other regions. If there were big factories, this place would be really livable." He also added, "Whoever wins, people are busy just trying to make a living."

Mr. Yoo, 55, a taxi driver, said, "The way to solve the livelihood problem is to attract industrial complexes. When we were young, Jeonju was similar to Gwangju and Daejeon, but now it's less than half. There are no jobs, so kids leave after graduation, and the population decreases every year. Even if you do the same work, you get 1.8 million won in Jeonju but 2.5 million won in Ulsan, so people go to Ulsan."

New high-rise apartments have been noticeable throughout Jeonju city. However, there are concerns that the economic difficulties will worsen due to the rapid influx of these apartments. Mr. Park, an apartment developer met in downtown Jeonju, said, "Jeonju used to be among the top six cities, but the population has dropped too fast. The population should be around one million," adding, "If you develop like this because apartments are lacking now, unsold units will surge."

All candidates in this by-election unanimously stated, "We must revive Jeonju's underdeveloped economy," proposing economic pledges such as attracting manufacturing industries, creating a hydrogen city, and generating 100,000 youth jobs.

Polls Show a Close Race... Progressive Party Candidate Leads Within Margin of Error

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Despite growing disappointment with the Democratic Party, the dominant party in Honam, due to the worsening local economy, most Jeonju citizens rated the Democratic Party candidate as the most likely to win. Mr. Kang, 44, a self-employed person, said, "If there is no one to vote for, I usually vote for the Democratic Party," adding, "I support candidate Lim Jong-yeop." Mr. Park Won-gyu, 58, who operates real estate, said, "We should vote for Lim Jong-yeop. He works well and will win," predicting, "Although Progressive Party candidate Kang Sung-hee was ahead in the polls briefly, the actual votes will swing back."

A poll conducted by Jeonju MBC through Realmeter from the 19th to 21st among 506 men and women residing in Jeonju-eul (for detailed information, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website) showed candidate Kang in first place with 25.9%, ahead of candidate Lim Jong-yeop in second place with 21.3%. According to citizens, Progressive Party members have been campaigning by collecting trash early in the morning for several months. Ms. Yoo Hyun-kyung, 61, who runs a beauty salon, said, "There is no candidate working this hard now. The party members are working hard," but added, "Even if they work hard, it used to be the Lee Jung-hee party."

However, some viewed the candidates who left the Democratic Party to run as independents with a critical eye. Mr. Park, 60, a taxi driver, pointed out, "Since the election is next year, it would be proper and polite to wait one year before running. Two candidates came out saying they would serve only one year and are fighting each other."