[Presidential Barometer Seol Min-sim] Without Fail Every Election... The Politics of the 'Big Bow'

Barometer Revealing a Losing Situation
A Deep Bow of Reflection and Apology Does Not Guarantee Victory

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, both performed deep bows to the public this month. Candidate Lee said, "The Democratic Party has been very lacking and has not met the expectations of the people (on the 24th)," while Candidate Yoon said, "I will correct my shortcomings so as not to disappoint the people's desire for a regime change (on the 1st)," each offering an unexpected deep bow. Although the sudden relay of deep bows caused some confusion, it was interpreted as a sign that they feel a 'crisis.'

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is performing a deep bow with Democratic Party lawmakers representing constituencies in Gyeonggi Province on the 24th at Poeun Art Hall in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, expressing his commitment to do better in the future before announcing Gyeonggi Province policy pledges. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

One of the rules in Yeouido politics is that a candidate’s deep bow is a sign that they are losing ground in the election. Looking at the timing of the bows, both candidates shared the commonality of performing them when the situation was unfavorable. However, there is no guarantee that this will lead to victory.

There have been many cases in the past where politicians performed deep bows before elections. A representative example is former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who was the election committee chairperson of the Democratic Party at the time and performed the "Sambo-ilbae" (three steps, one bow) before the April 2004 general election. When public sentiment was greatly shaken by the Democratic Party’s support for the impeachment of former President Roh Moo-hyun, she expressed remorse and apology by performing deep bows every three steps over three days and two nights in Gwangju. Although this grueling campaign took a toll on her health, the result was a crushing defeat. Former Minister Choo lost in her constituency of Gwangjin District 2, and the Democratic Party secured only nine seats.

In the April 2016 general election, when criticism grew over the Saenuri Party’s nomination scandal known as the ‘Pro-Park Geun-hye nomination,’ all 12 candidates in the Daegu region, including then Daegu-Gyeongbuk election committee chairperson Choi Kyung-hwan, performed deep bows as a group. However, the results saw the Democratic Party (Kim Boo-kyum) and independent candidates (Joo Ho-young, Yoo Seung-min, Hong Ui-rak) winning four of the 12 districts, leaving the Saenuri Party with only eight seats.

In the June 2018 local elections, Hong Joon-pyo, then leader of the opposition Liberty Korea Party, performed a deep bow during the Busan mayoral election. He pleaded with supporters, saying, "If Busan falls, our Liberty Korea Party must close its doors," but the result was a victory for Oh Keo-don of the Democratic Party. The party suffered defeats even in conservative strongholds such as Ulsan and Gyeongnam Province. In this election, the Democratic Party swept seven mayoral seats, with the Liberty Korea Party winning only one.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

A recent example of a deep bow in elections is former Future United Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn. Running as a candidate for Seoul Jongno in 2020, Hwang held a national press conference and performed a deep bow the day before the election, April 14. At that time, the United Party was suffering from controversies including the ‘Incheon rural backwater’ remark, ‘Nth room curiosity,’ ‘ignorance of the 30s and 40s generation,’ and ‘Sewol ferry tent misconduct’ remarks. The result was a crushing defeat by a 20 percentage point margin.

This may seem like a ‘jinx of the deep bow.’ However, the reason this jinx is repeated in every election is that reasons for performing a deep bow arise each time. The same applies to the March 9 presidential election this year.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Candidate Lee performed a deep bow of apology on November 24 last year at a meeting to promote livelihood and reform legislation, saying, "We will be reborn as a new Democratic Party," and exactly two months later, on January 24, he performed another deep bow at the announcement of the ‘Gyeonggi pledge.’ He said it was an apology and expression of reflection for the Democratic Party’s shortcomings. In particular, Candidate Lee repeatedly said the current government’s real estate policies were "insufficient" dozens of times. He also distanced himself from the former Minister Cho Kuk scandal and accepted criticism by mentioning ‘double standards and fairness,’ saying, "The public’s reproach is not wrong," which can be understood in this context.

Candidate Yoon also performed a deep bow on January 1 at the New Year meeting of the election committee held at the Daehwa Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Considering the situation of the election committee at that time, the meaning of Yoon’s deep bow can be examined. From the end of last year to early this year, Yoon’s approval ratings plummeted amid internal conflicts within the People Power Party, including disputes with leader Lee Jun-seok.

Election and political consultant Kim Hyo-tae explained, "There is political significance in a deep bow, and those who are winning in an election do not bow." He analyzed, "This has always been the case in past elections. When the situation feels ‘off,’ they bow. However, this itself means the situation is already unfavorable, so in many cases, the game ends in defeat after the deep bow."

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