Ahead of the presidential election, support declarations sprout up... 'Representation controversy' amid competition

Over 40 Support Declarations from Both Sides in a Week
Repeated Side Effects Including Lack of Representation and List Errors

[Asia Economy Reporters Park Jun-yi and Song Seung-seop] As the presidential election day approaches, support declarations for each candidate are pouring in nationwide, revealing growing side effects. There have been noticeable cases where hastily posted support lists led to conflicts within the same industry backing different candidates or disputes over representation.

On the 25th, an analysis of support declaration lists for Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea and Yoon Seok-youl of the People Power Party over the past week (17th?24th) confirmed that support declarations for these candidates reached 30 to 40 cases nationwide each. The supporters ranged across generations such as youth, women, and the elderly, and various professions including finance, law, medicine, and fashion. Among them, there were instances where competitors within the same industry supported different candidates. For example, on the 17th, the Busan Buddhist group of 1,080 members called Sangsaengmoim declared support for candidate Lee, while on the 23rd, an organization representing 3,000 Busan lay Buddhists declared support for candidate Yoon.

On the same day, 1,200 members of the science and technology community held a support press conference for candidate Yoon at the National Assembly communication center. Six organizations supporting candidate Lee’s youth fairness policies, including the reinstatement of the judicial examination, are also scheduled to declare their support.

As organizations supporting the two candidates competitively raise their voices, issues of representation have also surfaced. Earlier this month, the Korean Federation of Trade Unions (KFTU), with 1.4 million members, officially declared support for candidate Lee. However, the next day, an organization under the Busan branch of KFTU opposed the federation’s decision and declared support for candidate Yoon. Subsequently, KFTU-affiliated unions such as the Gyeonggi Automobile Union and Platform Union supported candidate Lee, while unions in Gyeongbuk and Daegu supported candidate Yoon, showing signs of division.

Individuals belonging to industries where candidate support declarations have emerged also express dissatisfaction. Recently, 110 former finance professionals declared support for candidate Yoon on behalf of the financial sector, but current finance industry members feel uneasy. Finance is an industry strongly influenced by government pressure, and there are concerns about being ‘disfavored’ by the government depending on the election outcome. A finance sector official said, "We cannot stop political statements from those who have already left their companies," adding, "The direct association with politics is beyond a burden; it is very awkward."

There was also a mishap in hastily posting support lists, where the supporting entity was incorrectly noted. The day before, the People Power Party included the name of a member from the People’s Party in the list of 317 former ruling and opposition National Assembly speakers and members supporting candidate Yoon, but the error was confirmed and the name was deleted.

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