‘Banner Politics’ Gets ‘Overzealous Again’ Ahead of Chuseok Holiday

Following the Liberation Day Holiday, Major Areas Are Flooded Ahead of Chuseok... Voters Are 'Boiling'

Ahead of the Chuseok holiday, numerous banners of prospective candidates for next year's local elections are installed along both sides of the five-way intersection road from Samnye-eup, Wanju-gun to Jeonju-si.

[Jeonju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hanho] Following the Liberation Day holiday in August, the “banner politics” has once again run rampant in the Jeonbuk region ahead of the Chuseok holiday, causing residents to frown.

However, dissatisfaction among voters and the administration regarding this kind of banner politics, which does not meet citizens’ expectations, is growing.

In fact, major areas in Jeonbuk ahead of the Chuseok holiday are plastered with banners from politicians who are considering running in next year’s local elections.

Especially in military areas with heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic, banners of politicians preparing to run for positions such as heads of organizations, superintendents of education, and local council members are densely installed to the point where there is no room left.

At the five-way intersection from Samnye-eup in Wanju-gun heading towards Jeonju City, nearly 10 banners are hung.

Most of the banners display messages about overcoming COVID-19 and Chuseok greetings, but citizens say they are merely a means for politicians to promote their faces and names ahead of next year’s local elections.

Moreover, the number of banners posted recently is incomparable to previous times.

Typically, prospective candidates claim to post 50 to 100 banners per city or county, but this is not taken at face value.

There are even reports that a certain individual expected to run for superintendent of education has over 200 banners just in the Wanju area.

Due to the difficulty of face-to-face contact amid COVID-19, this is a tearful effort by prospective candidates to highlight their presence even for a single second, but the gaze of voters and administrative agencies is not just unfavorable but critical.

The problem is that politicians’ banners are illegally installed not on designated posting boards but in places with heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

As a result, citizens point out that walking becomes inconvenient, they are exposed to accident risks, and their view is obstructed while driving due to the numerous banners posted everywhere.

During the recent Liberation Day holiday, the Jeonju area received numerous complaints to the Democratic Party Jeonbuk Provincial Office about children’s walking accidents caused by banners.

There is another problem. The massive removal of banners becomes the responsibility of the administration.

Local governments in Jeonbuk, including Wanju-gun, must invest considerable manpower and budget to remove numerous banners immediately after the Chuseok holiday.

An official from the Wanju-gun Architecture Department said, “Even during the Liberation Day holiday, there were many complaints related to banners, and the amount of banners removed right after the holiday exceeded twice the usual amount,” adding, “Given the current situation, large-scale removal operations will have to be carried out by town and township after this Chuseok holiday as well.”

Because of this, voices are rising calling for measures to reduce banner installations that cause dissatisfaction among voters, burden administrative agencies, and whose effectiveness is questionable.

It is suggested that reasonable alternatives, including amendments to the current Public Official Election Act which lacks separate regulations on banners unrelated directly to the election of prospective candidates, should be sought.

Article 67 of the current Public Official Election Act stipulates that “candidates may post banners up to twice the number of towns, townships, and neighborhoods within the relevant electoral district for election campaigning,” but there are no separate regulations regarding banners posted by prospective candidates.

However, banners posted more than 180 days before the election date must not contain election-related content.

A Jeonju City official said, “Banner postings by prospective candidates will not subside until December 31 of this year, which is 180 days before the local election day (June 1 next year),” adding, “While we sympathize with the difficulties of candidates who are desperate to promote their faces, considering citizens’ complaints, we hope banner installations will be kept to a minimum.”

Jeonju=Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hanho stonepeak@asiae.co.kr

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