Expectations for 'Daeyeokjeongeuk' by the Ruling Party vs 'No Chance' from the Opposition... Candidates' Final All-Out Offensive (Summary)

Lee Nak-yeon "Shy progressives start speaking out... Polls and grassroots sentiment differ"
Kim Jong-in "We will win comfortably... I will leave the party the day after the election"

Park "Riding the 'Noh Hoe-chan bus' to Noryangjin Fish Market to gauge public sentiment"
Oh appeals for support from 2030 youth in Gwangjin-gu, where he previously ran

[Asia Economy reporters Naju Seok, Oh Ju-yeon, Geum Bo-ryeong] With the April 7 by-elections just one day away, both ruling and opposition parties have launched their final all-out campaigns. While the ruling party is pinning hopes on a last-minute comeback, the opposition is confident of a landslide victory in both the Seoul and Busan mayoral races.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 6th, Lee Nak-yeon, the Democratic Party’s standing election committee chairman, appeared on CBS Radio’s ‘Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show’ and predicted the election would be "a close race within about 3%." Lee said, "Supporters who hadn’t spoken before (shy progressives) have started to speak," adding, "Polls show our side’s response rate was significantly low, but those people are expressing their support for us, so the poll results differ from the grassroots sentiment." He also expressed hope for a comeback, saying, "We might be able to win."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, appeared on the same broadcast and offered a contrasting prediction, saying, "I think we will win comfortably by double digits, at least by 15% or more." Joo said, "If the Democratic Party mobilizes its organization, their support rate might rise a bit, so the gap could narrow. But if the angry public heads to the polls, that would be advantageous for us. How these factors play out as pluses and minuses is the key." Kim Jong-in, the People Power Party’s emergency committee chairman, also told the media that day, "We expect to win easily," adding, "No matter how much the other side uses negative tactics, they cannot artificially change the results." It was reported by party emergency committee member Sung Il-jong that Kim will step down as chairman and leave the party the day after the election, on the 8th.

Meanwhile, candidates from both parties continued their vigorous campaigns from early dawn, focusing their final efforts. Democratic Party Seoul mayoral candidate Park Young-sun boarded the first 6411 bus, known as the ‘No Hoe-chan Bus,’ departing from Guro-dong around 4 a.m. and traveled to Noryangjin Market, canvassing grassroots sentiment. Park referred to the late former lawmaker No Hoe-chan’s past support campaigns when he ran for the Dongjak District parliamentary seat, appealing for support from progressive-leaning voters. Park urged, "If you vote tomorrow, we will definitely win."

Park, whose blue sneakers worn since the start of the campaign were soaked from traversing the campaign sites, said, "The situation is unpredictable," and appealed again, "If you vote tomorrow, we will definitely win." After holding focused rallies in Gwanghwamun, Seodaemun District, Eunpyeong District, Yeongdeungpo, and Mapo, Park plans to conclude the day with street greetings in Gwanghwamun.

People Power Party Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon began his final campaign day at Jayang-dong Intersection in Gwangjin District, the constituency where he ran in the 21st National Assembly general election. He said, "I can clearly feel the support from the younger generation," adding, "The past 10 years of Seoul mayors and the last 4 years of the Moon Jae-in administration’s behavior have been very disappointing to young people’s values of fairness and coexistence, even showing hypocritical behavior, which I think has started to anger the youth." Oh plans to meet citizens in Gwangjin, followed by Jungnang, Nowon, Dobong, and Jongno districts. He will also visit the Sinchon university area in Seodaemun District to solidify support among the 20s and 30s age group.

Oh, who greeted commuters in black cotton pants and wrinkled-heeled shoes instead of a suit, changed into red sneakers for his full campaign activities. His campaign team explained, "It is an expression of his determination to run hard until the very end."

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