Hong Jun-pyo: "If I Lose to Gangseo District Mayor, It Will Be a Megaton-Level Shock"

Posted on Facebook about Gangseo-gu Mayor by-election
"Next year's general election is the litmus test of public sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area"

Hong Jun-pyo, Mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City, stated on the 25th via social networking service (SNS) that there will be a megaton-level shock if they lose the by-election for the Mayor of Gangseo District, Seoul, scheduled for the 11th of next month.

Mayor Hong said, "The Gangseo District Mayor by-election will serve as a litmus test to gauge public sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area ahead of next year's general election," adding, "It is truly regrettable that despite the opposition party performing so poorly, the ruling party is neither overwhelming them nor gaining ground. The camp that loses the Gangseo District Mayor by-election will face a megaton-level shock."

Mayor Hong also stated, "If early voting reaches the 20% range, it will favor the opposition party, and if voter turnout is low, there will be hope for the ruling party," emphasizing, "This is not a simple by-election but an important preliminary battle to forecast the political climate of next year's metropolitan general election."

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Meanwhile, the Gangseo District Mayor by-election will be held on October 11th, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., following the Chuseok holiday. Early voting will take place on Friday and Saturday, October 6th and 7th, respectively, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Candidate number 1 is Jin Gyo-hoon of the Democratic Party of Korea, a former Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency; candidate number 2 is Kim Tae-woo of the People Power Party, a former Mayor of Gangseo District; candidate number 3 is Kwon Soo-jung of the Justice Party, a former Seoul City Council member; and candidate number 4 is Kwon Hye-in of the Progressive Party, a licensed Korean medicine doctor.

A total of seven candidates, including these, are running in the Gangseo District Mayor by-election.