Declining Support for TK (Daegu·Gyeongbuk)
Impact of Yoon-Han Conflict and Do Tae-woo's Nomination Cancellation
Expecting Support Rebound with Conservative Unity Message
On the 26th, Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, visited former President Park Geun-hye, drawing attention to the background of their meeting. In political circles, there is an interpretation that Chairman Han is making moves to consolidate the conservative base in the final stages.
This is the first time Chairman Han has met former President Park since his inauguration in December last year. Attorney Yoo Young-ha, known as a close aide to former President Park, is expected to attend the meeting. Attorney Yoo is running as the People Power Party candidate for Daegu Dalseo-gap in this general election.
Following his visit to Daegu and Gyeongsan on the 21st, Chairman Han’s consecutive two-week visits to the TK (Daegu and North Gyeongsang) region are seen as largely influenced by the deteriorating public sentiment in Daegu. According to a telephone interview poll conducted by Gallup Korea from the 19th to the 21st targeting 1,001 people aged 18 and over, and announced on the 22nd (with a 95% confidence level, margin of error ±3.1 percentage points, and a response rate of 14.3%), the party support ratings were 34% for the People Power Party, 33% for the Democratic Party of Korea, and 8% for the Innovation Party of Korea. Compared to the previous survey, the Democratic Party rose by 1 percentage point, while the People Power Party dropped by 3 percentage points from 37% to 34%.
Inside and outside the party, the decline in support for the People Power Party is attributed to the second conflict between the Blue House and the People Power Party related to Ambassador Lee Jong-seop to Australia and former Presidential Office Civic Society Chief Hwang Sang-moo. Although former Civic Society Chief Hwang, who made the 'kitchen knife terror' remark, resigned voluntarily, and Ambassador Lee, suspected of exerting external pressure on the investigation of the late Sergeant Chae Soo-geun’s case, returned to Korea from Australia, the situation had already caused a drop in support in the metropolitan area and TK. According to Gallup Korea’s previous survey in the second week of March, the People Power Party recorded 61% and 48% support in TK and PK (Busan and South Gyeongsang), respectively, but in the third week’s survey, these figures fell to 49% and 43%, a decrease of 12 and 5 percentage points respectively. (For detailed information, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.)
The conservative base’s defection in the TK region is also linked to the 'Do Tae-woo effect.' Previously, the People Power Party canceled Attorney Do’s nomination for Daegu Jung-nam due to controversies including disparaging the May 18 Democratic Uprising. Attorney Do was part of former President Park’s legal team during the impeachment crisis. He has now declared his candidacy as an independent in Daegu Jung-nam.
For Chairman Han, the key is to meet former President Park and draw out messages aimed at consolidating the People Power Party and the conservative base for the general election. Political commentator Park Sang-byeong said, "There seem to be two major meanings behind Chairman Han’s visit to former President Park: one is to minimize the alienation of public sentiment in TK, and the other is to embrace the entire conservative support base of the People Power Party."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
