[Report] Public Sentiment in Bucheon, the Political Hometown of Kim: "Honest Moonsoo Kim" vs. "Front-runner Jaemyung Lee"

Older Voters Prefer Kim: "Good Character, Few Assets"
Younger Generation Turns Away from Martial Law... "All My Friends Support Lee"

On May 22, exactly one week before early voting (May 29-30) for the 21st presidential election, an impromptu presidential debate took place between two 20-year-olds, Haram Kang and Donghyun Son, at Bucheon Station Plaza in Gyeonggi Province.

"I support Moonsoo Kim. He did a great job with the GTX project when he was the governor of Gyeonggi Province," Kang said, expressing his support for People Power Party candidate Moonsoo Kim. In response, Son said, "I'm going to vote for Jae Myung Lee. He has guts. He did well as governor, too," expressing his support for Democratic Party candidate Jae Myung Lee.

Seoul City University student Haram Kang (first from the left) spoke in support from candidate Kim's campaign vehicle. Supporters responded enthusiastically, saying, "The young friend speaks well." Photo by Bokyung Jang

The reason Bucheon City is drawing attention in the 21st presidential election is its political symbolism. Sosa District in Bucheon is where candidate Moonsoo Kim was first elected as a member of the National Assembly. In the 15th general election in 1996, Moonsoo Kim, a politician with a background in the labor movement, ran as a candidate for the New Korea Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party) and won a narrow victory. His opponent at the time was Ji Won Park, a candidate for the National Congress for New Politics (the predecessor of the Democratic Party), who later became the director of the National Intelligence Service. At a campaign site on May 22, candidate Kim shared his feelings, saying, "I have received a debt of gratitude from the citizens of Bucheon that I could never repay in my lifetime."

The political landscape in Bucheon is now very different from what it was in 1996. From the 19th to the 22nd general elections, Democratic Party candidates swept the victories. In the 20th presidential election, candidate Jae Myung Lee received a vote share that was 12 percentage points higher than People Power Party candidate Seok Yeol Yoon.

On the 22nd, Bucheon Free Market was bustling with shoppers and supporters of candidate Kim heading to a nearby campaign site. Photo by Jang Bokyung

Most of the young people met near Bucheon Free Market leaned toward "regime change." Hyun (29), who stopped by candidate Kim's campaign site on his way home from work, said, "I'm really struggling with this decision," but also commented, "I absolutely cannot tolerate martial law." Hyun added, "I want to try trusting Jae Myung Lee. Watching him clean up the valleys, I had to acknowledge his drive." Hyesun Kim (45), an office worker who said she supports the People Power Party, also explained, "Everyone around me supports Jae Myung Lee," and "There are a lot of people in their 40s who support him." On one side of Bucheon Station, there was a citizen protesting while holding a sign that read, "6·3 Vote: Judge and Eliminate the Insurgent Forces with Your Vote!"

The Bucheon Citizens' Coalition is delivering a message to eliminate the insurgent forces at candidate Kim's campaign site. Upon seeing this, a supporter of candidate Kim caused a commotion by saying, "Lee Jae Myung is a criminal." Photo by Jang Bokyung

However, among the older generation, candidate Kim was highly regarded for his character. Geumju Park (84), who has lived in Sosa District for 40 years, described candidate Kim as "an honest person," and asked, "Would someone who owns only a 24-pyeong apartment not understand the lives of ordinary people?" Song (68), who runs a fruit shop, said, "He did a great job as a member of the National Assembly and as governor here, so my expectations are high," expressing support for candidate Kim. When asked about candidate Lee, Song replied, "To be honest, I can't trust him. I don't know what's inside."