Local Election D-1 ... Ruling Party Targets 'Santokki', Opposition Focuses on 'Jiptokki'

Ruling Party Aims for Landslide Victory by Targeting Battlegrounds Gyeonggi and Chungcheong
Opposition Party Seeks to Unite Supporters in Daejeon, Sejong, and Incheon
Record Early Voting Turnout in Local Elections... Attention on Whether Momentum Will Continue

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yoon-jin] On the 31st, one day before the main vote of the 8th nationwide simultaneous local elections, the ruling and opposition party leaderships appear to be targeting the 'wild rabbits' and 'home rabbits,' respectively. The People Power Party is focusing on the battlegrounds of Gyeonggi and Chungcheong and expanding its offensive to Jeju Island, which has emerged as a competitive area. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Korea is concentrating its firepower on Seoul, a key battleground along with Daejeon and Chungcheong, aiming to rally its support base in the final moments.

According to a joint public opinion poll of metropolitan mayoral candidates conducted by Korea Research, Ipsos, and Korea Research commissioned by KBS, MBC, and SBS, released on May 26, the People Power Party and Democratic Party candidates are in a close race within the margin of error in four areas: ▲Gyeonggi Province ▲Incheon City ▲Daejeon City ▲Sejong City. In the other nine metropolitan cities and provinces, People Power Party candidates are leading, while Democratic Party candidates lead in four areas. This poll was conducted via wireless telephone interviews (100% mobile phone virtual numbers). The response rate ranged from 14.9% to 27.9%, with a sampling error of ±3.1 to ±3.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level (for detailed information, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website).

People Power Party Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong is appealing for support at the Central Election Committee's Gyeonggi Province All-Out Victory Rally held in front of Yatap Station, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province on the 31st. From the left, Ahn Cheol-soo, candidate for National Assembly member for Seongnam Bundang-gap, Kim Eun-hye, candidate for Governor of Gyeonggi Province, Floor Leader Kwon, and Shin Sang-jin, candidate for Mayor of Seongnam. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group.

Based on this trend, the People Power Party is targeting battlegrounds to aim for a landslide victory. On this day, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, and Kim Ki-hyun, co-head of the joint election committee, participated in campaigns in the Chungcheong and Gyeonggi regions. After conducting the 'Gyeonggi Province Total Mobilization Victory Campaign' with Kim Eun-hye, the People Power Party candidate for Gyeonggi Governor, Kwon and Kim continued support campaigns in Chungbuk and Gangwon regions and the Gyeonggi region, respectively. The Chungcheong area emerged as a battleground after President Yoon Seok-youl performed well in the last presidential election, and attention is focused on whether voter sentiment will change in Gangwon Province following former Governor Choi Moon-soon's three-term tenure.

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, plans to assist with campaigns in Jeju Island until the afternoon of the 31st and then move to other regions to participate in election support. The People Power Party is focusing on capturing Jeju voter sentiment by fiercely criticizing the 'Gimpo Airport Relocation' pledge made by Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's general election committee head running in the Incheon Gyeyang-eul by-election held alongside the June 1 local elections, calling it an "irresponsible pledge that would undermine Jeju's tourism industry."

Yoon Ho-jung, Co-Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea's Joint Election Countermeasures Committee, is giving an opening remark at the Central Election Countermeasures Meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 31st. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group uwg806@yna.co.kr

The Democratic Party leadership plans to focus on rallying its support base in competitive areas to secure victories in these battlegrounds. After the morning central election committee meeting, co-chairs Yoon Ho-jung and Park Ji-hyun participated in a support campaign for Lee Chun-hee, candidate for Sejong Mayor. In the afternoon, they held a press conference appealing for support in Daejeon and then attended a campaign rally for Song Young-gil, the Democratic candidate for Seoul Mayor, in Yongsan, Seoul, as their final schedule. Floor leader Park Hong-geun toured campaign rallies for district mayor elections in areas such as Gangbuk-gu and Seongbuk-gu in Seoul, where the Democratic Party is analyzed to have an advantage, before joining Song's support rally.

Lee, running in the Incheon Gyeyang-eul by-election, plans to focus on election activities within Incheon on the 31st as well. With opinion polls showing a close race against the People Power Party candidate Yoon Hyung-sun, Lee is concentrating on winning the hearts of Gyeyang-eul voters rather than participating in nationwide election campaigns.

Meanwhile, according to the National Election Commission, the early voting rate for the June 1 local elections held on the 27th and 28th recorded the highest ever for local elections at 20.62%. However, since local elections generally have lower turnout compared to presidential or general elections, both ruling and opposition parties are urging their support bases to vote. On the 30th, Yoon Ho-jung, co-chair of the Democratic Party election committee, urged voting at a joint press conference of the party leadership, saying, "If you vote, the people will win." On the same day, at the People Power Party floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly, floor leader Kwon Seong-dong appealed for support, stating, "Public opinion without voting is just a number."

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