Park Sung-min "If Ruling and Opposition Lose Gangseo District Mayor, Leadership Reshuffle Will Naturally Follow"

Former Democratic Party Supreme Council Member, SBS Radio Interview
"Downplaying the By-election Significance? Avoiding Responsibility"

Former Democratic Party Supreme Council Member Park Sung-min predicted the outcome of the by-election for Gangseo District Mayor held on the 11th, saying, "Regardless of whether it is the ruling or opposition party, leadership reorganization will naturally arise," and added, "If the Democratic Party loses, there will be a painful reflection on losing in a region favorable to us."

Former Supreme Council Member Park appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' on the same day to discuss the significance of this by-election.

He pointed out, "The People Power Party tries to downplay the significance of this election, but what is certain is that it is the only election before the general election, and it is being held in the metropolitan area," adding, "Also, Gangseo District has a regional characteristic where many young voters live, so naturally, this election can be used as a sort of barometer."

He continued, "Downplaying or denying the significance of this election seems like an attempt to avoid responsibility because they think they might lose," and predicted, "For both ruling and opposition parties, whoever loses this election will inevitably face political reform measures such as transitioning to a provisional leadership committee or the entire leadership resigning."

On the morning of the 11th, the day of the by-election for the Mayor of Gangseo District, voters are casting their ballots at the Gayang 1-dong No. 1 polling station set up at Yangcheon Elementary School in Gangseo-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Supreme Council Member Park explained, "If it is said that we lost despite being in a region favorable to the party and in a very advantageous situation, the issue will be analyzed by expanding it to the party's problems rather than the candidate's issues or the nomination process."

Nevertheless, he added, "We think this is an election we can confidently engage in, so we are not actually considering the possibility of losing."

Meanwhile, according to the National Election Commission, as of 10 a.m. on the day, the voter turnout for the Gangseo District Mayor by-election in Seoul was recorded at 7.1%. The early voting turnout on the 6th and 7th was 22.64%. Voting is conducted from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the day.

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