Ruling and Opposition Parties, Final Showdown Campaigns Gather in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

Engaging Undecided Voters Until Just Before Early Voting Day

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Geum Bo-ryeong] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, will face off in the Seoul metropolitan area, the key battleground, from next month 1st until just before the early voting day (4th). With 9 days left until the presidential election, both ruling and opposition parties plan to strategically target the Seoul metropolitan area, where there are many undecided voters, to capture the last-minute votes.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Starting his schedule on the 28th in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, candidate Lee will attend the launch ceremony of the ‘Southern Metropolitan Area Vision Realization Committee’ in Daegu on the same day and visit his hometown Andong, concluding his 1-night 2-day Yeongnam schedule. On March 1st, he plans to hold a full mobilization rally in Seoul to gather supporters and party members. On the 2nd, when a TV debate is scheduled, he will focus solely on the debate, then on the 3rd, he will tour Gyeonggi, which has the largest number of voters, and on the early voting day, the 4th, he will sequentially visit Gangwon and Jeju to appeal for support.

Woo Sang-ho, the general headquarters chief of the Democratic Party’s election campaign committee, said in a phone interview, "We see Seoul and Gyeonggi as the battlegrounds and will pour all our firepower there," emphasizing, "Especially, we must win in Seoul." He explained, "Other regions are following the patterns of past elections, but Seoul is very close," adding, "Winning in Seoul means winning the presidential election." Considering that Democratic Party supporters have a high early voting participation rate, the party plans to focus on maximizing the consolidation of its supporters in the metropolitan area before the early voting day. Woo said, "Early voting allows people to vote near their workplace or office, so the participation of economically active populations is high," and "These overlap with the 40s and 50s age group, who support candidate Lee, so increasing the turnout in this group is important."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Candidate Yoon is targeting the central region and the Seoul metropolitan area. Scheduled to visit the Chungcheong region on the 1st of next month, Yoon plans to focus on the so-called ‘moderate voter base’ and ‘casting voter’ Chungcheong area, promoting the ‘Chungcheong Great Ambition Theory.’ Although he visited the Chungcheong region on the 15th and 22nd, it cannot be considered a stronghold for Yoon. On the 2nd, he plans not to schedule any campaign events due to preparation for the TV debate.

On the 3rd, a day before the start of early voting, he aims to meet as many people as possible in the Seoul metropolitan area. Lee Yang-su, senior spokesperson for the People Power Party’s election campaign headquarters, explained in a phone interview, "This week’s schedule is about preparing for the early voting day and capturing the votes of moderate voters."

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