[Report] "Kim Tae-woo, Sent Off for Foul and Running Again" vs "Dislike of Democratic Party Leads to Voting Conservative"

Citizens Near Banghwa-dong, Gangseo-gu on the 25th
"Kim Tae-woo's Re-election Bid Is Not Appropriate," They Say
"Wouldn't Someone Experienced Be Better?" Some Opinions

"There is no system that allows a person who committed a foul and was sent off to play again as a player."
Jo, 58, Gonghang-dong, Gangseo-gu

"I dislike the behavior of the Democratic Party so much that I will vote for the conservative party."
Seo, 55, Gonghang-dong, Gangseo-gu

On the 25th, three days before the start of the '10·11 Gangseo-gu Mayor By-election' election campaign beginning on the 28th, public opinion in Gangseo-gu was clearly divided. Residents met near Banghwa-dong, Gangseo-gu, in the afternoon seemed to have already made up their minds about the candidates from both parties running in this by-election.

On the 21st, the first day of candidate registration for the by-election for the Mayor of Gangseo-gu, Seoul, scheduled for the 11th of next month, Jin Gyo-hoon, the Democratic Party candidate, and Kim Tae-woo, the People Power Party candidate, shook hands at the Gangseo-gu Election Commission in Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

This election is held because the former mayor, Kim Tae-woo, the People Power Party candidate, lost his mayoral position last May after being sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation for leaking official secrets. Kim was pardoned on August 15th, just three months after the Supreme Court confirmed his guilty verdict for exposing the alleged cover-up of the investigation into Cho Kuk, then Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs during the Moon Jae-in administration, while working as a special inspector in the Blue House's Civil Affairs Office. He is running again as the People Power Party candidate. The Democratic Party strategically nominated Jin Gyo-hoon, a former Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency.

Residents of Gangseo showed strong negative sentiment toward Kim, who caused this election. Kwak, 51, who runs a grocery store in Banghwa-dong, said, "I voted for Kim last time," but added, "He caused the by-election, so running again is not right. Many people around me have turned away." Jo, 58, living in Gonghang-dong, said, "Every society or sports game has rules, but they are letting a person who committed a foul play as a main player," and emphasized, "I am considering between the Democratic Party and Progressive Party candidates, but if the vote is likely to split, I will choose the candidate who can win."

Jin's recognition still appeared to be an obstacle. Although most Gangseo residents said they would vote for the Democratic Party candidate, they expressed a wait-and-see attitude toward Jin. Choi, 50, who works at an electronics company, said, "I only know that Jin served in the police, and I need to see more about him," adding, "I need to consider more whether he will carry on the spirit of the Democratic Party by looking at his policies."

Former prosecutor investigator Kim Tae-woo, who raised suspicions of civilian surveillance by the Blue House's special inspection team, is responding to reporters' questions as he enters the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in Gyeonggi Province on the 12th to undergo investigation into the case filed by the Blue House.
Photo by Kang Jin-hyung, Suwon aymsdream@

Some residents said they would vote for the conservative candidate due to the "Democratic Party's obstruction of state affairs." Seo, 55, who has run a flower shop in Banghwa-dong for 30 years, said, "I used to think well of the Democratic Party because they accepted my membership application and helped a lot, but I dislike their behavior so much that I will vote for the conservative party." He criticized, "They do nothing to help the current government and only attack. It seems they only want to show themselves, not for the people."

Lee, 65, originally from Gumi, Gyeongbuk, and a resident of Gangseo-gu for over 30 years, said he would vote for Kim after reviewing his administrative experience. He said, "I don't know if I will vote or not," but added, "Still, isn't the person who has done it better?" and chose Kim.

Most Gangseo residents cited reviving the economy as the top priority for the mayor. Kim, 60, who runs a clothing store near the market, said, "Look at this street. It's empty. It wasn't like this before," and frankly said, "Since COVID-19, business has been bad, and I don't know what to do. The economy needs to improve."

Kim, 69, who runs a restaurant, lamented, "We need to revive the area. Instead of thinking about making money, they should take care of the poor and help the shops that are struggling to survive." He pointed out that about 4 billion won was spent on the by-election and raised his voice, "Because of that guy (candidate Kim Tae-woo), all the money of Gangseo-gu is gone. Shouldn't the People Power Party pay for it?" He criticized further, saying, "If that money were distributed to small business owners, they would be grateful."