Official Election Campaign for April 7 By-Elections Opens... Ruling and Opposition Candidates Rush to Livelihood Sites

Park Young-sun Campaigns in Guro, Yangcheon, and Yeongdeungpo
Oh Se-hoon Tours Gangbuk Area for Election
Poll: Oh Se-hoon 55% vs Park Young-sun 36.5%

On the first day of the April 7 by-election campaign, Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Seoul mayor, is taking a photo with a supporter while greeting commuters at Sindorim Station in Guro-gu, Seoul, on the 25th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok, Im Cheol-young, Oh Ju-yeon] The official campaign period for the by-elections held on April 7 began on the 25th. Both ruling and opposition parties are determined to secure victory, viewing this election to select the mayors of Seoul and Busan as a preliminary battle that will shape the landscape of next year’s presidential election.

The candidates for Seoul mayor from both parties jumped into the field at midnight to capture public sentiment. Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor, chose to experience a convenience store night shift as her first schedule. Then, during the morning commute, she greeted citizens in Guro, her former constituency. Afterwards, she plans to visit areas including Guro Digital Complex, Yangcheon-gu, and Yeongdeungpo-gu, focusing on sectors where she can emphasize her strengths such as small business owners and the local economy.

On the first day of the April 7 by-election campaign, on the 25th, Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, visited Daecho Traditional Market in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, greeting the merchants. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate, began his first campaign event by participating in subway disinfection work at the Gunja Vehicle Depot in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. He will then tour the northern districts in the order of Seodaemun-gu, Jung-gu, Dongdaemun-gu, Jungnang-gu, Nowon-gu, Dobong-gu, and Gangbuk-gu to engage in the election campaign. Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party who lost to Oh in the unification primary, will also join the support campaign. Ahn, who serves as co-chairman of Oh’s joint campaign committee, will participate in a joint rally at City Hall Plaza in the afternoon.

On the 25th, when the official election campaign began, Kim Young-choon, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Busan mayor, appealed for support to citizens on their way to work at the Seomyeon Intersection in Busanjin-gu, Busan.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Young-choon, the Democratic Party candidate challenging for Busan mayor, held a ‘YC-Nomics’ declaration ceremony for his campaign headquarters at the Busan Nam-gu International Finance Center and unveiled his vision for Busan’s economic policy pledges. Park Hyung-joon, the People Power Party candidate, visited major Busan hotspots such as Gwangbok Intersection and Seomyeon to meet with citizens. Government ministries announced through a public address on the same day that they will create a safe voting environment and establish fair elections and public service discipline.

Meanwhile, in the first public opinion poll released after the unification decision between Oh Se-hoon and Ahn Cheol-soo on the 23rd, Oh received 55.0% support while Park received 36.5%. This result comes from a survey conducted by Realmeter on behalf of OhmyNews on the 24th, targeting 806 Seoul residents aged 18 and older. The gap between the two candidates is 18.5 percentage points, which is outside the margin of error (±3.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level).

On the 25th, when the official election campaign began, Park Hyung-jun, the People Power Party candidate for Busan mayor, greeted citizens on their way to work at the entrance of Gwangbok-ro, Jung-gu, Busan.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

For detailed poll information, please refer to the website of the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission.

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