Unified under Democratic Party candidate Kim Gyeongji... "Judgment on Yoon Seokyeol administration"
People Power Party launches all-out effort with on-site Supreme Council meeting on the 9th
The Democratic Party of Korea and the Party for National Innovation have unified their candidates for the Busan Geumjeong District Office by-election under the banner of regime judgment. The People Power Party is anxiously trying to prevent the spread of risks related to First Lady Kim Geon-hee.
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung is campaigning in support of candidate Kim Kyung-ji, who is running for the Geumjeong District Mayor by-election, near Busan National University Station on the afternoon of the 3rd. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the afternoon of the 6th, Cheon Jun-ho, Chairman of the Democratic Party's Strategic Planning Committee, and Jeong Chun-saeng, Senior Deputy Floor Leader of the Party for National Innovation, held a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, stating, "The unified opposition candidate is Democratic Party candidate Kim Kyung-ji," and added, "The candidate was decided through a public opinion poll conducted among residents of Geumjeong District, Busan." Candidate Kim and Party for National Innovation candidate Ryu Je-seong held a live YouTube debate on the 5th and conducted a two-day automated phone survey targeting supporters of both parties and undecided voters to prevent reverse voting. However, the results of the poll were not disclosed.
The opposition parties had a tense standoff over the Geumjeong District Office candidate but appear to have resolved their conflict. Although the candidates from both parties abruptly agreed to unify on the 3rd, the Democratic Party raised issues with the unification poll, causing a breakdown. The Party for National Innovation decided to accept all of the Democratic Party's demands, leading to the unification.
The opposition's desired outcome is 'regime judgment.' Both candidates emphasized this during the unification debate on the 5th. Candidate Kim said, "Our decision is solely for the judgment of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration and the leap forward of Geumjeong District." Candidate Ryu also stated, "My victory will be a heavy blow to the Yoon administration and the strongest form of judgment."
On the morning of the 6th, Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, is appealing for support for Yoon Il-hyun, the candidate for the by-election of the Geumjeong District Office, while taking photos with worshippers in front of Namsan Catholic Church in Geumjeong-gu, Busan. [Image source=Yonhap News]
With the opposition achieving unification in Geumjeong, the ruling party is under urgent pressure. Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, is putting all efforts into supporting People Power Party candidate Yoon Il-hyun. Last weekend, Han visited Geumjeong for a one-night, two-day schedule to appeal for support for candidate Yoon. On the 9th, an on-site Supreme Council meeting is also planned in Geumjeong.
The ruling party is facing a red light as support for President Yoon Seok-yeol and the ruling party declines simultaneously. According to a poll conducted by Realmeter from the 30th of last month to the 4th (excluding holidays on the 1st and 3rd), surveying 1,504 voters nationwide aged 18 and older, President Yoon's positive approval rating was 27.9%. (For detailed information, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.) Support for the People Power Party was 32.7%, trailing the Democratic Party's 42.4% by about 10 percentage points.
The ruling party is also concerned about the potential further spread of risks related to First Lady Kim ahead of the National Assembly audit. The opposition plans to intensively question allegations of First Lady Kim's state affairs manipulation and interference in candidate nominations in standing committees such as the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. At a dinner meeting held the previous day between Leader Han and pro-Lee faction lawmakers, it was reported that there was a shared awareness of the need to prepare for any allegations related to First Lady Kim that might arise during the audit. A first-term lawmaker who attended the dinner said in a phone interview that day, "If the risks related to First Lady Kim grow larger as the audit progresses, the public will perceive the facts more closely and the intensity of criticism will increase," adding, "There is a growing voice to monitor the audit and respond accordingly."
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