35% Unaffiliated Voters to Decide the Outcome...Democratic Party Targets Public Sentiment with Supreme Council Meeting at Sea in Tongyeong

Korea Research and KBS Changwon Poll
Unaffiliated Voters Reach 35 Percent... Public Sentiment Remains Unclear

With the 9th nationwide local elections approaching on June 3, the Democratic Party leadership held an on-site Supreme Council meeting on a ship off the coast of Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, in an effort to win over the fluctuating public sentiment in the region. This decision was made based on the judgment that the direction of public opinion remains unclear, as the proportion of unaffiliated voters—those without a preferred candidate or who withheld their responses—reaches 35%.

Jeong Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party, is attending the highest committee meeting held on a passenger ferry he boarded on the 22nd at Yokjido, Tongyeong City, Gyeongsangnam-do, and is conversing with Kim Kyungsoo, the candidate for governor of Gyeongsangnam-do. Photo by Yonhap News

On the morning of the 22nd, the Democratic Party held the on-site Supreme Council meeting on a vessel traveling from Yokjido to Tongyeong City, Gyeongsangnam-do. Kim Kyungsoo, who received the party's sole nomination as the Democratic Party's candidate for governor of Gyeongsangnam-do, and Heo Seongmu, head of the party’s Gyeongsangnam-do branch, also attended.

At the meeting, Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheongrae stated, “Politics must first listen to places that are more inconvenient, more remote, and more desperate. That is why we are holding this Supreme Council meeting at sea,” adding, “Just because a place is far away does not mean it should be distant from policy and welfare.”

He also said, “I remember the requests from residents at yesterday's town hall, such as adjusting the ship departure times, and will do my best to resolve them. I will discuss these matters with officials from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and will work to resolve both the emergency doctor helicopter and residents’ drinking water issues.”

Candidate Kim remarked, “Gyeongsangnam-do’s tourism resources have yet to be fully utilized as tourism products. To achieve the era of 30 million foreign tourists declared by President Lee Jaemyung, transportation issues such as local airports, railways, and public transit must be solved.” He added, “Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do will join forces to develop the southern coast into a global marine tourism complex belt.”

This is the first time the Supreme Council meeting has been held on a ship. Since the previous day, the Democratic Party leadership has been carrying out field activities on Yokjido, including participating in a sweet potato farming experience and holding discussions with island residents. After arriving in Tongyeong, the Democratic Party leadership and candidate Kim plan to visit the Jungang Traditional Market to gauge public sentiment.

According to a survey commissioned by KBS Changwon and conducted by Korea Research from April 14 to 16 with 800 adults aged 18 or older in Gyeongsangnam-do through wireless telephone interviews, candidate Kim received 37% support, while incumbent governor Park Wansu, the People Power Party candidate, recorded 27%. Jeon Heeyoung, the Progressive Party candidate, received 1% support.

27% of respondents said they did not support any candidate, while 8% did not answer. Usually, when candidates are confirmed, supporters rally and the proportion of unaffiliated voters decreases, but the rate remains high. For more detailed information on the poll, refer to the website of the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission. The response rate was 23.8%, and the margin of error was ±4.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

The previous day, leader Jeong told reporters, “I understand that the proportion of unaffiliated voters is higher in Gyeongsangnam-do than in other regions. I came to the island of Yokjido in Tongyeong City to bring about a blue wave from here. I will do my best until Gyeongsangnam-do is swept by a blue wave.”

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