Hwang Kyo-ahn Trapped in the 'Capital Region Hardship Zone'... Wavering for a Month

Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty Korea Party, and Shim Jae-cheol, floor leader, along with other Supreme Council members, are attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 3rd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The leader of the Liberty Korea Party, Hwang Kyo-ahn, and the party are facing prolonged concerns over the "difficult constituencies in the Seoul metropolitan area." It has been exactly one month since Hwang declared, "I will run in a difficult constituency in the metropolitan area," but only various speculations are rampant. Critics point out that the delay in deciding the leader's electoral district is preventing the party from establishing an overall metropolitan area strategy.

On the 3rd, Hwang remained silent about which constituency is the "difficult area." When reporters asked if he had decided to run in Jongno, he evaded by saying, "I will tell you later."

Hwang first expressed his intention to run in a difficult constituency at the "National Rally for Creating a Hopeful Korea" held at Gwanghwamun Square on the 3rd of last month, saying, "I will take the lead for unity." Since then, reporters have continuously asked where the "difficult constituency in the metropolitan area" is, but he only repeated the general answer that "the decision will be made in the direction most helpful to the Liberty Korea Party." Meanwhile, Hwang added to the confusion by leaving open the possibility of switching to proportional representation in an interview.

Within the party, there are criticisms that the delay in making a choice is narrowing the options for the "difficult constituency." As time passes, the formula that the difficult constituency in the metropolitan area is Jongno is solidifying, and attention is focused solely on whether he will run in Jongno. A party official said, "If he does not run in Jongno, it gives the impression that he is avoiding a difficult constituency." There are also criticisms that this framing is actually delaying the decision further.

There is ongoing debate within the party over Hwang's electoral district. While in the past, voices advocating a strong breakthrough by running in Jongno had gained strength, recently, considering the reality, there are claims that the party should fight a winnable election.

On the same day, Representative Joo Ho-young said on a radio program, "I understand that there is even consideration of running young candidates or newcomers in Jongno to fight the election with an asymmetrical strategy," adding, "As the party leader, he must also direct the nationwide election, so he needs to see and judge how to arrange things to maximize the impact." In fact, the Yeouido Research Institute is also reported to have conducted a public opinion poll on Hwang's candidacy, considering districts such as Yongsan-gu, Yangcheon-gap, Guro-gu, and Yeongdeungpo-gu in Seoul as candidates.

There are also criticisms that Hwang's hesitation to confirm his run in Jongno is ultimately due to concerns about the possibility of losing the election. A party official said, "Isn't the reality of the Liberty Korea Party in the metropolitan area election that even if the party leader runs, he could lose?"

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