Leading Candidate Park Young-sun "Keeping Possibility of Running Open... There Is a Change in Thinking"

Minister Park Young-sun of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups is announcing the export trends of small and medium enterprises for the third quarter of 2020 at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 20th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups and a leading candidate for the ruling party in the Seoul mayoral race, said, "I am keeping open the possibility of running in the Seoul mayoral by-election." Analysts suggest that Park's long-awaited declaration of candidacy is imminent.

On the morning of the 6th, Park appeared on MBC Radio and responded to a question about reports that she would announce her candidacy on the 10th by saying, "That is not the case," but added, "I had been placing more weight on my responsibilities as the Minister of SMEs and Startups, but since the situation has worsened, I am keeping open the possibility of running. This is a change in my thinking."

She also said, "If the situation had improved, I would have definitely placed more weight on my responsibilities as the Minister of SMEs and Startups," adding, "Since the situation has worsened, I am keeping open the possibility of running."

When asked, "If you run, are you confident you can win against anyone?" she replied, "Rather than talking about winning or losing, I think what is more important is what kind of future Seoul should approach." However, Park added, "If the situation improves, I think another alternative might emerge."

Park's statement that "the situation has not improved" is interpreted as referring to recent public opinion polls on suitability for Seoul mayor, where the Democratic Party is trailing behind opposition candidates.

According to a poll commissioned by Asia Economy from WinG Korea Consulting, conducted on the 2nd and 3rd among 1,006 Seoul residents aged 18 and over (100% mobile phone virtual numbers, automated response), in a hypothetical two-person race, Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Power Party, received 47.4%, while Minister Park received 37.0%, with Ahn leading by 10.4 percentage points.

Although within the margin of error, former Mayor Oh Se-hoon also received higher support at 43.9% compared to Park's 38.7%, and in a hypothetical race between former lawmaker Na Kyung-won and Park, the results were close at 39.8% and 40.1%, respectively. In the same survey, when asked "Who do you think is the most suitable candidate for the pro-government camp?" 18.5% chose Park.

Meanwhile, Park will appear on TV Chosun's entertainment program 'Taste of Wife' on the 12th. Former lawmaker Na, who appeared on the same show the previous day, recorded a personal highest viewership rating of 11.2% (Nielsen Korea standard).

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