Final Presidential Campaigns All in 'Seoul'... Ruling and Opposition Parties Vie for Centrist Votes

Lee wraps up campaign in Gwanghwamun and Hongdae after targeting Seoul metropolitan area
Yoon visits from Jeju to Daejeon... stops in Gwanghwamun, Konkuk University, and Gangnam areas
Presidential election heated by regional issues, some disappointment over major candidates concentrating in Seoul
Experts analyze "Campaign ends in Seoul aiming to capture centrist votes"

On the 8th, one day before the presidential election, Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, held a "Special Press Conference on Overcoming Crisis and National Unity" at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Wooseok] The decisive day of the 20th presidential election has dawned. On the previous day (the 8th), Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party candidate, both chose Seoul as their final campaign location, drawing attention. However, some expressed regret that the election schedule finale was entirely wrapped up in Seoul. Experts analyzed that this could be a schedule aimed at targeting the centrist voters from an election strategy perspective.

Candidate Lee started his campaign on the previous morning from Yeouido and continued through Paju, Goyang, Incheon, and Gwangmyeong. Then, at 7 p.m., he returned to Seoul and held a focused campaign rally at Cheonggye Plaza. According to the Public Official Election Act, campaigning using campaign vehicles is allowed until 9 p.m., so after that, he met voters directly around Hongdae Entrance in Mapo-gu to encourage voting.

Lee's final campaign strategy is to 'target the metropolitan area.' In the early voting held on the 4th and 5th, Gyeonggi Province recorded the lowest turnout nationwide at 33.7%, and Incheon also fell below the national average with 34.1%. The strategy appears to be to gain votes by visiting the metropolitan area where many latent votes exist.

Cho Jeong-sik, Special Chief of the Democratic Party Election Committee, emphasized on YTN Radio that day, "The metropolitan area is where the votes are most concentrated, so canvassing the grassroots as much as possible and appealing with a very desperate heart is the most important election strategy."

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is appealing for support at a campaign rally held on the 7th at Ansan Culture Square in Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Candidate Yoon also held his final campaign rally at 8 p.m. at Seoul City Hall Plaza. He then moved to the areas around Konkuk University Station and Gangnam Station. Earlier, Yoon toured nationwide from 10 a.m., starting from Jeju, then Busan, Daegu, and Daejeon, before heading to Seoul. This is interpreted as being mindful of the cancellation of the Jeju campaign on the 7th and the early voting turnout rates below the national average in Busan (34.2%), Daegu (33.9%), and Daejeon (36.6%).

Park Sung-joong, Chairman of the People Power Party Seoul City Committee, said on the same radio that day, "Originally, we planned to visit Jeju on the 7th, but focusing intensively on the metropolitan area made it difficult to go to Jeju. Today, the plan is to visit Jeju, then Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, and finish with a final rally in Seoul in the evening."

At the Busan campaign rally that day, Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party who agreed to unify with Yoon, joined, and at the 'finale' rally at Seoul City Hall Plaza, Ahn, Lee Jun-seok, and former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min joined to conduct a one-team campaign.

Sim Sang-jung, the Justice Party's presidential candidate, is appealing for support at the finale campaign held in front of Sangsangmadang in Hongdae, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the evening of the 8th, one day before the 20th presidential election.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Sim Sang-jung, the Justice Party candidate, targeted the youth by visiting Seoul’s Gangbuk and Nowon districts, university areas such as Korea University and Hanyang University, and the Hongdae and Yeonnam-dong areas.

However, some expressed regret that all the major presidential candidates concluded their campaigns in Seoul. They suggested that finishing the campaign in regions other than Seoul could also have significance.

Kim, a man in his 40s from Jeonnam, said, "If the election is wrapped up in the provinces, it could have another symbolic meaning, and naturally, there would be more talk about the candidate. Of course, finishing the campaign in Seoul is good, but sometimes it would be nice to finish in the provinces."

Meanwhile, Park, a man in his 30s from Gyeonggi Province, said, "If a candidate finishes the campaign in the region that raised them, local residents might think more deeply and for a longer time. I want to see candidates finish their campaigns in other regions next time."

Experts explained that the schedule is from an election strategy perspective, and there are complex reasons for concluding the campaign in Seoul, such as finding the most efficient places to gain more votes during the process.

Professor Lee Jun-han of the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Incheon National University said, "(Since the final rallies are monopolized in Seoul) every region would want the candidates to come and campaign in their area," but added, "Candidates try to maximize effect within limited time and routes, so finishing the campaign in the provinces might feel difficult."

He added, "From the candidates’ perspective, Seoul has a large population and many centrists, so there needs to be momentum (support) in Seoul. That is why presidential candidates tend to finish their campaigns in Seoul."

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