Bowing in Plea by the Ruling Party, Early Voting Encouragement by the Opposition... A Slightly Unfamiliar Change from Before

Lee Nak-yeon "Even if criticized for our shortcomings, please accept innovation and effort"
Kim Jong-in issues appeal for voting participation... "Please stop the Moon government's wrongful rampage"

Park Young-sun, Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor (left), and Oh Se-hoon, People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporters Kum Boryeong, Jeon Jinyoung, Park Juni] On the first day of early voting for the April 7 by-elections, both ruling and opposition parties launched all-out efforts to capture public sentiment, shouting "last-minute comeback" and "judgment on the regime," respectively. Both sides see voter turnout as the biggest variable that will determine the election outcome. Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor, boosted the mood by casting her early vote in person, while Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, issued a public appeal for voter participation. Throughout the day, Park participated in a YouTube channel debate and an Instagram live broadcast to try to increase her support, while Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, targeted Guro District, Park’s former constituency, which was left unattended while she was voting early.

On the 2nd, Chairman Kim made a public appeal for voter participation at the National Assembly, stating, "This election is to judge the disastrous failures of the Moon Jae-in administration over the past four years and to signal the beginning of a regime change," and urged, "Please vote to stop the Moon administration’s reckless missteps." Within about five minutes, Chairman Kim repeated the phrase "Please vote" five times. Lee Nak-yeon, the Democratic Party’s Standing Election Committee Chairman, also emphasized at the Central Election Committee meeting, "Early voting is underway, and even if the public criticizes our shortcomings, we earnestly appeal for them to accept our innovation and efforts."

Both sides are calculating that it will be advantageous to them to bring their supporters to the polling stations. The Democratic Party, anticipating that core supporters including those in their 40s and office workers will find it difficult to vote on the official election day during the workweek, is focusing on early voting. On the same day, Roh Woong-rae, co-chairman of the Democratic Party’s election committee, said on KBS radio, "Early voting has started, and as a result, supporters are rallying. We feel some enthusiasm on the ground, and the gap seems to be narrowing." In contrast, the People Power Party expressed concern about the Democratic Party’s ‘organizational strength’ and insisted on the need for their own supporters to rally. On the same day, Joo Ho-young, the People Power Party floor leader, said on MBC radio, "By-elections tend to have low turnout, so organizational votes have a significant impact. The Democratic Party has a much larger organization, which puts us at a disadvantage, so a high level of voter participation beyond organizational votes will be key to our victory."

Both party candidates headed to Jongno, the heart of Seoul, early that morning. Around 8:30 a.m., Park visited Jongno District Office to cast her early vote. After voting, she told reporters, "I started today’s first schedule with early voting, hoping people will vote for ‘Seoul’s honest future.’" Originally, Park planned to vote in Guro District, her former constituency, but changed the polling place to Jongno, which she considers "the traditional and future holy ground of Seoul."

Oh chose to campaign instead of early voting. He viewed expanding contact with citizens as a strategy to raise voter turnout among his supporters. Starting at 8 a.m., Oh shouted "Please take good care of me" to citizens at the crosswalk near Gwanghwamun Station in Jongno District. Unlike his early campaign days when he moved frantically with a hoarse voice, he greeted citizens with a relaxed and bright smile. He then visited the Korea Christian Federation to encourage its members, aiming to rally the Christian support base. After campaigning at Dongmyo Flea Market, Sangam DMC, and Kkaebi Market, he headed to Guro District, Park’s former constituency, to continue campaigning.

At the same time, Park campaigned at Namdaemun Market, Gyeongdong Market, and other locations, and in the evening, she plans to participate in a joint debate hosted by six YouTube channels. After the debate, she will hold an Instagram live broadcast, actively engaging with the 2030 generation on social media to win their support.

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