[Tokkanohko General Election] Where Is Hwang Kyo-ahn's 'Heomji'?

Diplomacy should not be judged by appearances alone. It is the nature of negotiation dialogue, and politics is similar in that regard. Especially in the political arena ahead of elections, numerous strategies and possible scenarios abound. It is difficult to easily grasp the underlying dynamics.

Ahead of the April general election, political reporters from Asia Economy covering Yeouido and election scenes across the country engage in a roundtable discussion. 'Roundtable' means 'an open and candid conversation as thoughts come to mind.' It's like saying, 'Let's speak frankly.' Of course, even reporters cannot know everything in detail. However, since their job involves close-range coverage and thinking about politics, they can read a bit more into the underlying atmosphere and the spaces between the lines.

The primary purpose was to share flows that cannot be captured in articles among reporters, but they also aim to fulfill the role of providing accessible information to readers. They hope to broaden understanding of the election scene and serve as a small 'think tank' during drinking table debates. Above all, they wish to contribute to fostering affection that supports the 'lesser evil' or 'second best' instead of useless political hatred. (For smoother conversation, nicknames are used. Since lively conversational style is conveyed as is, honorifics may be omitted.)]

Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty Korea Party, attended the welcoming ceremony for newly recruited personnel held at the National Assembly on the 16th and delivered a welcoming speech for the fourth recruit, Lee Jong-heon. Lee was in charge of labor and general affairs at the Gumi plant of Farm Hannong, a manufacturer of pesticides and fertilizers. In June 2014, he discovered that industrial accidents from 2009 to 2014 had been concealed at seven plants nationwide and reported this to the Gumi branch of the Daegu Regional Employment and Labor Office. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

◆JeongAlMot = Jongno? Given the current atmosphere, excluding Gangnam, most places in Seoul are probably tough districts. The position as opposition party leader doesn't seem very strong yet either.

◆YeouidoTMI = From the Korean Party's atmosphere, ultimately Representative Hwang has to make a decision. The mid-level areas? The ruling party controls them, but the Korean Party thinks they have a chance. Places like Gwanak, Dobong, Seongdong are strongly colored by the ruling party, so impossible. If he goes there, it would really be a tough challenge. But the question is whether he can really go there.

◆Dolpa = He says he will go to a tough district! But not a 'completely tough' one. (laughs) The party leader probably can't enter a game he is obviously going to lose. So Jongno is doable?

◆YeouidoTMI = There are many places being talked about like Mapo, Guro, Yongsan.

◆Dolpa = For the Korean Party, Hwang is the top presidential candidate, right? Hong Joon-pyo is there too, but if Hwang Gyo-an goes somewhere and gets crushed, it would be a big blow to the whole party. His room to maneuver would narrow significantly. Is the Democratic Party holding a trump card then? Lee Nak-yeon is waiting and telling Hwang Gyo-an to come out.

◆YeouidoTMI = Lee Nak-yeon might take the role of campaign committee chairman, but Hwang Gyo-an is still the party leader. He has to lead the overall election, so Lee Nak-yeon might be able to embed himself more deeply in the district.

◆Dolpa = Could it be that Hwang Gyo-an goes proportional representation?

◆YeouidoTMI = No way, that would be difficult now. He has already declared he will run in a tough district. Of course, the satellite party for proportional representation might be a variable.

◆JeongChi3Dan = I don't think Lee Nak-yeon will face him directly right away. Looking at approval ratings. But this is actually a matter of pride. The leader of the main opposition party should win wherever he runs. They are reconsidering that. Although they say tough district a lot, in reality, they will choose a place they can win. It depends on how you interpret the meaning. Here, the Korean Party is weak for this reason, there for another. Frames can be made anywhere.

◆Dolpa = Tough district is a matter of packaging?

◆JeongChi3Dan = Exactly. They must be conducting opinion polls in various districts under Hwang Gyo-an's name and can choose a favorable place. If Hwang loses, it's the end for the Korean Party. They will try to go where they can win.

Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon is answering reporters' questions as he leaves the meeting room after attending the Democratic Party of Korea's Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doo7@

◆Dolpa = He won't leave Seoul, right? Lee Nak-yeon is running in the 'political number one district.'

◆GukHoeBulJumeok = Probably. But Lee Nak-yeon's official residence is there, so I heard he greets people in Jongno while commuting. Not Hwang Gyo-an though. When talking behind the scenes with Democratic Party people, they say Hwang Gyo-an is not the kind to take such risks. He is a stability-seeker.

◆JeongAlMot = It's a matter of packaging. Talking about Jongno feels like the Democratic Party has already prepared and is pulling people in.

◆Dolpa = Before Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Jongno was a place where conservative opposition parties served three terms each. MB did too. Chung Sye-kyun was said to appear at every neighborhood meeting and worked diligently, so personal skills helped a lot. Looking at the regional color alone, the conservative color can be seen as stronger. It's hard to say it's an absolute Democratic Party stronghold. A battleground? Both Democratic Party and Korean Party have announced their number one pledges.

◆YeouidoTMI = The Democratic Party is concrete, the Korean Party talks about regime judgment discourse. The difference seems clear.

-YeouidoTMI left (due to important coverage)-

◆SeoulSaram = The Democratic Party's number one pledge in the general election needs some criticism. They say they will install Wi-Fi nationwide.

◆JeongAlMot = It's already installed everywhere.

◆Dolpa = There are still places without it. They want to fill all gaps. For example, if you used to pay 100,000 won for your phone bill, with Wi-Fi it might drop to 50,000 won, something like that.

◆SeoulSaram = When you consider priorities, there are many things besides Wi-Fi. Why is that number one? I asked reporters covering the telecom industry, and they said, '5G is out now, who uses public Wi-Fi?'

◆Dolpa = Is Wi-Fi slow? The target is youth, but will young people like it?

◆GukHoeBulJumeok = Yes (everyone laughs)

◆SeoulSaram = The question is who uses it. Also, where does the annual 200 billion won budget come from? Companies might have to bear some costs. Also, it might become unusable in a few years. Without upgrades, it becomes scrap metal. Middle and high school students might like it. Budget uncertainty, demand uncertainty!

◆JeongChi3Dan = We should also think comparatively. Compared to the Korean Party's number one pledge. Which is worse?

◆GukHoeBulJumeok = Both are bad.

◆JeongChi3Dan = The Democratic Party's is at least connected to daily life, but the Korean Party's is about abolishing the Corruption Investigation Office. Will that resonate? It feels distant from people's livelihoods.

◆GukHoeBulJumeok = Will people in their 20s care about the Corruption Investigation Office? The Wi-Fi pledge resonates, so it can be criticized more easily. But the Korean Party is probably outside the interest of people in their 20s. They might just think, 'Why are they like that?' and move on.

◆Dolpa = Korean movies often talk about prosecutors and police. Like the movie where Hwang Jung-min plays a police officer and Ryu Seung-beom plays a prosecutor, and Hwang Jung-min kneels naked. They might think about adjustments to investigative authority between police and prosecutors.

◆GukHoeBulJumeok = The biggest recent topic among women in their 20s was 'Burning Sun.' It involves the police. They probably think, 'It's rotten anyway, is it okay to give it to the police?' Distrust of the police is that big.

◆Dolpa = That makes sense. Anyway, so what about Hwang Gyo-an?

◆Everyone = A safe tough district!

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.