Chuseok Ahead of General Election, Politicians' 'Banner Promotion Battle' Marks the Season

Parliamentary Candidates and Regional·Basic Council Members Alike, Everyone Just Puts Up Banners First

Indiscriminate Banner Installation... Mokpo City Flooded with Complaints

With next year's general election and Chuseok approaching, the city of Mokpo in Jeollanam-do is repeatedly troubled by candidates' 'banner politics.'

According to Mokpo City on the 27th, those considering running for the National Assembly next year are indiscriminately posting banners during anniversaries and holidays, causing overwhelming complaints that the city finds difficult to handle.

Prospective candidates for next year's National Assembly election, as well as metropolitan and local council members, are placing banners indiscriminately in places with heavy foot traffic or vehicle flow, including roadsides and sidewalks, causing citizens to frown.

Banners are indiscriminately hung between the road and sidewalk at Hadang Peace Square.
[Photo by Reader]

The banners are filled with phrases reflecting the meaning of the holidays or encouraging the public. However, most include their own photos, titles, and career information, which many citizens say ultimately appears to be merely a means to increase name recognition.

The banners placed everywhere cause inconvenience to pedestrians, expose them to accident risks, and even obstruct drivers' visibility.

Especially near crosswalks, the banners block the sightlines of young students, making it even more dangerous.

A Mokpo city official said, "The number of citizen requests to immediately remove banners put up by politicians on various anniversaries is two to three times higher than usual," adding, "We explain dozens of times a day to complainants that political banners are handled by each political party."

He continued, "The banner posting period for political parties is 14 days, and after the period ends, each party collects them," explaining, "The city does not bear the collection costs."

A representative from the Democratic Party's Jeonnam Provincial Office said, "For candidates preparing for next year's election, banners are a way to promote themselves, and since they are posted with approval from the Election Commission, the party cannot impose sanctions," adding, "We will consult with candidates to ensure banners are placed in locations that do not inconvenience citizens and are safe."

Kim (51), a resident of Okam-dong, Mokpo, said, "Banners are hung even near my home, and especially at Hadang Pokpo Intersection and the road near Peace Plaza, they are so indiscriminately posted that there is no more space left, making it impossible to tell who is who," adding, "While resource waste is an issue, since considering citizens' perspectives should be a politician's attitude, instead of indiscriminate banner politics, they should employ strategies to raise awareness through SNS and other means."

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