'Jyeotjalsa' Joeunhee and Park Seonghun, Meaningful Defeat of Opposition Party's Political Newcomers

Raising Awareness with Specific Pledges and Debate Skills
Surpassing Experienced Politicians Oh Shin-hwan and Lee Eon-ju

Jo Eun-hee, Seocho District Mayor Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] 'Jjeotjalsa' (Lost but fought well). Although it is a recently popular phrase, in this case, it was a term that could also be applied to the political newcomers of the People Power Party. Cho Eun-hee, Mayor of Seocho District with no experience on the Yeouido stage, and Park Seong-hoon, former Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Busan, gained recognition through debates and pledges during the primary election, raising their profiles in this election.

On the 4th, the People Power Party’s Nomination Management Committee announced the results of the Seoul mayoral primary opinion poll, where Mayor Cho received 16.47%, surpassing former lawmaker Oh Shin-hwan, who recorded 10.39%. This is a higher vote share than Oh even excluding the 10% bonus points for women and newcomers. In the Busan mayoral primary, former Deputy Mayor Park achieved 28.63%, exceeding former lawmaker Lee Eon-ju’s 21.54%.

This is a remarkable achievement considering that Cho and Park are political newcomers with limited experience. The candidates they surpassed, former lawmakers Oh and Lee, are seasoned politicians from the 20th National Assembly. Moreover, Lee consolidated support by uniting with former lawmaker Park Min-sik during the primary. Since this primary was conducted through a '100% citizen opinion poll,' it indicates that their recognition among citizens has increased.

Within the party, there are also evaluations highlighting the political capabilities of the two. A People Power Party official said, "There are many opinions that Mayor Cho and former Deputy Mayor Park performed quite well," adding, "They are being noticed as one of the political newcomers who will lead the party’s future."

In political circles, it is said that Cho and Park became known through their previously announced pledges and debate skills demonstrated on TV. During the primary, Mayor Cho received praise from rival candidates for specific pledges such as the 'undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Expressway' and the '25 polycentric cities' plan. On the 4th, Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon also said after his victory, "Mayor Cho is a candidate who received high support for her good work in Seocho District," adding, "Our party has gained another strong asset for the future."

Park Seong-hoon, former Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Busan City Photo by Yonhap News

Former Deputy Mayor Park also performed well in the Busan mayoral primary, securing the second-highest support with 28.63%, following Busan mayoral candidate Park Hyung-joon (54.4%). Despite it being his first election, he emphasized his experience as a World Bank economist, work at the Blue House and Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and as Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Busan, building an image as a 'young economic expert.' In earlier TV debates, Park highlighted his expertise by explaining financial terms to candidate Park.

Both credited the TV debates for contributing to raising their recognition during the primary process. Mayor Cho said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 5th, "I heard a lot from the media and those around me that this primary debate turned into a 'Seoul City Vision Policy Debate,' which gave me great satisfaction," adding, "I felt that my sincerity was recognized given the higher-than-expected support rate." Former Deputy Mayor Park also said in a phone interview that day, "After the primary ended, many around me said it was a meaningful defeat," and expressed, "I feel rewarded for sticking to my convictions without negativity or political calculations."

The future paths of the two differ. Mayor Cho, as a public official, cannot participate in candidate Oh’s campaign activities and plans to focus on district administration for the time being. She said, "I will return as Seocho District Mayor and devote myself to district administration, doing my best to help the opposition win the Seoul mayoral election." Former Deputy Mayor Park expressed his intention to fully support candidate Park’s election as Busan mayor as a party member. However, he also stated that after the election, he will look for ways he can contribute to Busan in the future.

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