Will the 'Saengtatang Restaurant' Controversy in the Final Election Stage Affect the 4.7 By-Election Outcome?

Naegok-dong Saengtaetang Restaurant Son "Oh Se-hoon Wore Ferragamo in 2005"
Press Conference Suddenly Canceled the Day Before (5th)
Ruling Party "Innocent Citizen Slandered as a Liar"
Opposition "Democratic Party Continues Negativity... Voters Are Not Fools"
Expert "Using Negative Strategy in Desperate Situation"

Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor (left), and Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, greet each other at the Korean Broadcasting Journalists Club's invited Seoul mayor by-election candidate debate held on the 5th at the Mokdong Arts Center in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] O Se-hoon, the People Power Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, has become embroiled in a last-minute election controversy over whether he visited a nearby saengtae-tang (fresh pollack soup) restaurant after surveying land in Naegok-dong in June 2005.

The ruling party, based on testimonies from the saengtae-tang restaurant side, claimed that "Candidate O is lying" and urged him to resign. Eventually, claims even emerged that "If Candidate O becomes mayor, he could be disqualified due to spreading false information." On the other hand, the opposition party pointed out that the saengtae-tang restaurant's position was reversed within just a few days, criticizing it as 'Saengte-tang' (a pun meaning 'throwing a tantrum soup') to imply they are 'throwing a tantrum,' continuing a sharp exchange of words.

As the dispute between the ruling and opposition parties continues daily, interest is growing in how the saengtae-tang restaurant controversy will affect the 4.7 by-election outcome. Experts analyzed that the key issue is whether Candidate O's speculation allegations will provoke greater public anger than the Moon Jae-in administration's real estate failures.

The controversy arose on the 2nd when the owner of the saengtae-tang restaurant and his son, Mr. A, appeared on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' claiming that Candidate O came to eat after participating in the land survey in Naegok-dong in June 2005. In particular, Mr. A detailed Candidate O's attire, saying, "He wore white cotton pants and casual loafers. The shoes were quite stylish Ferragamo."

Regarding this, Mr. A planned to hold a press conference in front of Seoul City Hall the previous morning to disclose specific circumstances of Candidate O's visit to the saengtae-tang restaurant. However, he suddenly canceled the schedule, citing concerns about revealing his identity.

The Democratic Party blamed the People Power Party for Mr. A's cancellation and highlighted Candidate O's 'lies.'

Choi In-ho, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, criticized in a briefing, "The slander and ridicule against the saengtae-tang restaurant owner and his son, who courageously revealed Candidate O's lies, have gone too far. Seeing the People Power Party's behavior toward citizens who speak inconvenient 'truths,' I cannot help but feel disappointed. They do not hesitate to intimidate whistleblowers. It is truly deplorable."

He continued, "Candidate O is accusing innocent citizens of lying because he fears his falsehoods will be exposed," adding, "No citizen will vote for a candidate who could be disqualified for spreading false information."

Some interpret the Democratic Party's repeated mention of Candidate O's 'saengtae-tang restaurant' controversy as an attempt to rally its support base.

On the morning of the 6th, Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, greets citizens on their way to work at Jayang Intersection in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, the opposition party rejected the ruling party's claims related to the saengtae-tang restaurant as "negative campaigning." On the 6th, Joo Ho-young, the People Power Party floor leader, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "The Democratic Party has been consistent with negative campaigning. At least as the ruling party, and with a former mayor from their own party, they should focus on pledges or achievements, but instead, they are solely concentrating on Candidate O's Naegok-dong and saengtae-tang issues. Seeing this, I judged that they have almost given up because the election is unfavorable."

Negative campaigning is an election strategy that highlights the opponent's negative aspects to gain a reflexive advantage, usually chosen by candidates in unfavorable positions. This strategy is mainly used to appeal to existing supporters rather than to attract moderate or undecided voters.

However, it is uncertain whether such controversies will actually affect the election outcome. The opposition party expects the saengtae-tang restaurant controversy will not significantly impact the election results.

Kim Jong-in, the People Power Party emergency committee chairman, told reporters after the party's central election committee meeting the previous day, when asked if any special variables would arise during the remaining election period, "There will be no variables in two days," adding, "The Democratic Party keeps doing negative campaigning, but voters are not fools to be deceived by this."

On the early morning of the 6th, the last day of official election campaigning for the April 7 by-elections, Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Seoul mayor, visited Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market and greeted the merchants. Photo by Park Young-sun's campaign office.

Some opinions suggest that the ongoing 'saengtae-tang controversy' has even overshadowed the candidates' presence. According to an analysis of Google Trends search frequency, the search term 'saengtae-tang' briefly surpassed 'Park Young-sun' for the first time on the 5th (between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m.). Notably, the two candidates were criticized for focusing on the Naegok-dong allegations rather than policy verification during three debates, leaving only 'negative exchanges.'

Experts analyzed that the key issue is how much the candidate's personal speculation allegations will influence the public, who are angry about the current government's real estate failures.

Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "There is significant public anger due to real estate policy failures and speculation allegations involving the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH). Ultimately, this anger over real estate policy failures has caused a drop in President Moon Jae-in's approval rating as well as the ruling party's support," adding, "The important issue is how much Candidate O's personal speculation allegations can influence voters. The key question is whether Candidate O's personal speculation allegations are a big enough issue to overshadow the public anger over the Moon administration's real estate policy failures."

He continued, "Negative campaigning is a strategy used by candidates in desperate situations with relatively low support. When they believe they can catch up in support, they do not resort to negative campaigning," adding, "Voters do not view candidates who use negative campaigning positively. Candidates resort to this strategy only because they are in a situation where they have no choice but to accept this perception."

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