[Report] "We Must Filter Out the Red" Diverging Public Sentiment on the 4·15 General Election 'Color Politics'

Published 11 Apr.2020 07:45(KST)

4·15 General Election 'Jongbukjuui', 'Jusapa' and Other 'Colorism' Appear
Elderly People Met at Tapgol Park in Jongno, Seoul Show Mixed Reactions: 'Pathetic', 'Need to Filter Out North Korean Forces'
20s and 30s Say 'Red', 'Pro-North Jongbuk'... "What on Earth Does It Mean?"
Early Voting Rate on First Day of General Election Recorded at 12.14%
Highest Since Nationwide Early Voting Introduced in 2014

On the afternoon of the 10th, elderly people gathered around Tapgol Park and Nakwon Arcade in Jongno 2-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul, continuing conversations about the 21st general election and more. Photo by Han Seung-gon hsg@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "Aren't they all pro-North Korea communists?"

On the afternoon of the 10th, some elderly people met near Tapgol Park in Jongno 2-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul, showed mixed opinions about the 'colorism' issues such as 'pro-North leftists' and 'Jusapa' that surfaced during the 4.15 general election campaign.

Some denied it was 'colorism' and raised their voices saying there are definitely forces that follow North Korean ideology, while others responded with disdain, saying "That's all old stories."

The dictionary definition of colorism is 'political disputes over the ideology held by an individual or group.' It has been criticized for directly conflicting with the constitutional spirit that guarantees freedom of thought and democracy. However, looking back at political history, this colorism has continuously appeared during election seasons, causing social confusion. In this general election campaign, 'colorism' appeared without fail.

Choi Chun-sik, the United Future Party candidate for Pocheon-Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, recently posted on his social network service (SNS) a photo of the Korean Peninsula map along with the message, "If conservatives win the 4.15 general election, leftists and Jusapa will migrate to this area (North Korea). If conservatives lose, this area (South Korea) will become communist," sparking controversy.

Also, on the 9th, at the '21st National Assembly Election Dalseo-byeong Candidate Debate' hosted by the Daegu Dalseo-gu Election Broadcasting Debate Committee, Jo Won-jin, the candidate of the Our Republican Party for Daegu Dalseo-byeong, claimed, "The Moon Jae-in administration is pro-China, pro-North, and pro-North Korean regime. It is a regime where native communists of South Korea gather."

Kim Yong-pan, the United Future Party candidate who attended the debate, said, "Daegu, which silently overcame the pro-North leftists and Wuhan coronavirus, is the bridgehead of Korea's victory and a symbol of determination. Please give your support to the United Future Party."

On the afternoon of the 10th, near the 'Agwijjim' alley in Jongno 2-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr

◆ Elderly at Tapgol Park: Mixed Opinions on "War Armistice State," "Democratic Country," and "Pro-North Forces"

On that day near Nakwon Arcade in Jongno, Mr. A, a man in his 70s, said about the colorism including the term 'communist,' "I don't know why they keep talking about old stories," adding, "Especially for people like us, we understand what they mean, but do young people these days have any interest in North Korea or Jusapa?" He raised his voice. He continued, "They not only have no interest but probably don't even understand what it means. It doesn't help at all with votes," he pointed out.

Another elderly man in his 80s, Mr. B, said, "The South and North are currently in a war armistice state," emphasizing, "There are definitely forces that follow North Korea." He added, "Therefore, it cannot be called colorism. It is stating the truth," expressing frustration. He further raised his voice, saying, "In this election, all people who like Kim Jong-un and North Korea must be filtered out."

Mr. C, a man in his 70s, responded to the statement about the 'regime where communists gather,' saying, "If communists were in South Korea, why wouldn't accidents happen?" Then he emphasized, "What we elderly want to tell young people is that this is definitely the democratic country of South Korea."

On the afternoon of the 10th, near 'Dwaeji Gukbap' alley in Jongno 2-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul, citizens are spending their leisure time playing baduk and gathering ahead of the weekend. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr

◆ People in their 20s and 30s: "We don't understand what it means. We wish they focused on promoting their pledges."

Meanwhile, relatively younger generations in their 20s and 30s showed reactions that they did not understand what 'Jusapa' or 'pro-North leftists' meant.

Ms. D, a college student in her 20s who said she came to Ikseon-dong, Jongno, to meet a friend on Friday, said, "I have seen a lot about North Korea on TV, but I don't understand what the terms 'communist,' 'leftist forces,' or 'pro-Northism' that recent election candidates use mean." She added, "There is not enough time even to promote their own pledges, so I don't understand why they slander and attack opposing candidates."

A man in his late 30s whom we met nearby cautiously expressed his opinion, saying, "You can easily see such words on online communities, but it seems inappropriate for such words to come out in official settings like TV debates."

On the other hand, they unanimously criticized the harsh remarks. Earlier, Ju Dong-sik, the United Future Party candidate running in Seo-gu Gap, Gwangju, claimed in a candidate speech aired on the local cable channel KCTV Gwangju on the 8th, "The Moon Jae-in administration and leftist forces succeeded in taking power by using Gwangju's democratization heritage," and "Gwangju has fallen into a city obsessed with the 1980s heritage, a city devoted to rituals instead of production, a city where the monument of past tragedies blocks young people's employment and childbirth."

He also said, "During his visit to China, President Moon gave a speech in front of Peking University students saying China is a big mountain-like country and Korea is a small country that will join the Chinese Dream," and "I wonder if this person is the president of South Korea or a governor of South Korea receiving orders from Xi Jinping," pouring out harsh remarks.

Regarding this, Mr. E, a man in his 40s, said, "I think it's possible to have such thoughts," but added, "Talking about heritage, rituals, and decline like that is a bit much, isn't it? I think it's excessive." He continued, "I don't know how that helps the election, but personally, I think it's harsh language."

On the afternoon of the 10th, the first day of early voting for the 21st National Assembly election, students from Samil Technical High School, who exercised their voting rights for the first time due to the lowered voting age, are holding their voting confirmation slips and taking commemorative photos at the early voting station set up at the Haenggung-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the early voting rate on the first day of early voting for the general election, the previous day (the 10th), was recorded at 12.14%. This is the highest figure since early voting was introduced for nationwide elections in 2014.

The National Election Commission (NEC) announced that as of the closing time of voting at 6 p.m., out of a total of 43,994,247 eligible voters, 5,339,786 had cast their votes.

The regions with the highest early voting rates were Jeonnam and Jeonbuk, recording 18.18% and 17.21%, respectively.

Early voting will be conducted today (the 11th) from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 3,508 polling stations nationwide. Voters must bring identification, and they can vote at any early voting station nationwide without separate registration.

However, the NEC recommended wearing masks when visiting polling stations due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection.