Seoul Metropolitan Area Public Sentiment Tested in Gangseo-gu Mayor Election
Leadership Faces Responsibility Pressure in All-Out Campaign
Kim Jaewon: "Election Must Restore Kim Taewoo's Reputation"
The People Power Party is focusing its efforts on the by-election for the Mayor of Gangseo District in Seoul, scheduled for the 11th of next month. This election, regarded as a barometer of public sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area, is being treated as a matter of life and death, as the results could lead to calls for accountability from the party leadership. Some argue that instead of a large-scale campaign committee featuring prominent metropolitan figures, the party should put forward Kim Tae-woo, the incumbent Gangseo District Mayor who has made a comeback, as the face of the campaign.
On the morning of the 28th, Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, will visit Magok-dong in Gangseo District, Seoul, to participate in the launch ceremony of the by-election campaign committee. Earlier, the party formed a 'mammoth-scale' campaign committee. They appointed Assemblymen Ahn Cheol-soo and Kwon Young-se, as well as former Assemblywoman Na Kyung-won, as standing advisors to the committee. The intention is to capture metropolitan public sentiment by putting forward well-known and influential political figures.
On the 26th, the People Power Party's Gangseo District Mayor by-election campaign committee appointment ceremony was held at candidate Kim Tae-woo's camp in Daebang Construction Building, Gangseo-gu. [Image source=Yonhap News]
As honorary co-chairs of the campaign committee, five-term Chungcheong region Assemblyman and National Assembly Deputy Speaker Jung Woo-taek and Assemblyman Jung Jin-seok were appointed. This reflects the regional characteristic that many voters in Gangseo District are from the Chungcheong area. Additionally, former Assemblymen Kim Sung-tae and Koo Sang-chan, who have experience serving as representatives in Gangseo District, were appointed as co-chairs of the campaign committee.
It is practically being called a 'presidential-level campaign committee.' Yoo Sang-beom, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, recently explained on MBC Radio, "From the party's perspective, whether big or small, when we put in full effort, it can create a positive perception among the public about the mayoral by-election," adding, "By-elections generally have low public interest and low turnout. Ultimately, organizational strength plays a very important role, and since we are relatively weaker than the Democratic Party in terms of organizational power, this is to increase local residents' interest and participation."
The reason the People Power Party leadership is so desperate is that if they lose this by-election by a margin of more than 10 percentage points, there is a high possibility that calls for leadership accountability will arise. Kim Woong, a People Power Party Assemblyman, recently said on KBS Radio, "Not only the party leadership but those who claim that the metropolitan crisis theory is false should step down from the party leadership," even suggesting the possibility of an emergency committee.
On the 26th, at the Kim Tae-woo candidate's campaign office located in the Daebang Construction building in Gangseo-gu, Kim Ki-hyun, the party leader, and Yoon Jae-ok, the floor leader, posed together with candidate Kim Tae-woo and new members joining the campaign committee for the by-election for Gangseo-gu mayor from the People Power Party. Honorary co-campaign committee chairpersons were appointed as Jung Woo-taek, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, and Assemblyman Jung Jin-seok. Former Assemblymen Kim Sung-tae and Koo Sang-chan were appointed as co-campaign committee chairpersons. Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo and former Assemblywoman Na Kyung-won joined the campaign committee as co-standing advisors. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Currently, the ruling party is at a somewhat disadvantageous position after the court dismissed the arrest warrant for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.
Some voices argue that at times like this, the party should humble itself and actively promote its own candidate Kim Tae-woo. Kim Jae-won, former Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, said on KBS Radio on the 27th, "Whether right or wrong, the election should be fought by bringing back the name value of candidate Kim Tae-woo," adding, "The reason Kim Tae-woo was pardoned and reinstated to run again for mayor was to put him forward and say that he would solve various difficulties that the residents of Gangseo District are thinking about. It would have been much better to run the election under Kim Tae-woo's personal name, so there is some regret."
Um Kyung-young, director of the Era Spirit Research Institute, cited the 2014 local elections held after the Sewol ferry disaster as an example, saying, "At that time, the Saenuri Party focused on policies that the public needed in their daily lives rather than grand slogans, fulfilling the fundamental role of politics to improve people's livelihoods, and was able to win the election," and analyzed, "There is a need to reconsider the current direction of the election campaign."
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