"Lee Jae-myung Dismissal, Conservative Rallying Effect"
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who has finished his hunger strike, is expected to return to party affairs as early as today. However, Kim Seong-tae, co-chairman of the People Power Party's Gangseo-gu by-election campaign committee, dismissed the Democratic Party's expectation that this would have a positive impact on the Gangseo-gu by-election site, saying it is "an impression that our people cannot reasonably accept."
On the 4th, Kim said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "The desperate situation at the time when Park Geun-hye, then the emergency committee chairperson, was seriously injured in an actual assault terror and still devoted herself to the election cannot be compared to the current situation of Lee Jae-myung."
There is an expectation within the Democratic Party that Lee's return could create momentum in the Gangseo-gu by-election, similar to how former President Park Geun-hye, despite being attacked with a box cutter when she was the Saenuri Party emergency committee chairperson, managed the election region with the phrase 'What about Daejeon?' and gained an advantage in the election. However, Kim co-chairman denied this, saying, "Democratic Party voters and the party may have such expectations, but (it is difficult)."
He cited a lack of sincerity in the hunger strike as the reason. Kim said, "Lee's hunger strike is not one that can be recognized as sincere. It was a commuting hunger strike, and he fasted in his own way in the party leader's office and hospital room," adding, "Therefore, it seems that the public does not accept this as a hunger strike worthy of desperate sincerity."
Gangseo-gu is traditionally a Democratic Party stronghold, and with candidate Kim Tae-woo trailing in opinion polls, the ruling party is expected to be at a disadvantage. Kim co-chairman said, "Not only the so-called shy conservative voters who are not well captured by polls, but also moderate undecided voters who have been quietly observing the situation have started to turn their backs on the opposition party," adding, "As the election campaign enters its final stage, this atmosphere has been materializing over the past few days."
He said that the dismissal of Lee's arrest warrant had an impact. He stated, "After the court dismissed Lee's arrest warrant, we could see the grassroots public opinion rapidly changing," adding, "It seemed that, as a result that is difficult to reasonably accept, conservative voters' support was consolidating over time."
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