Candidates make last-ditch efforts to attract swing voters

Election posters of the three major presidential candidates hang in a street in Seoul's Gwanak District, last Thursday. From the top are Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party, Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Sim Sang-jung of the minor opposition Justice Party Yonhap

Ruling party chief attacked with hammer during campaigning

By Jung Da-min

With only two days left before the March 9 presidential election, rival parties made last-ditch bids to mobilize support for their candidates and win over the hearts of swing voters whose last-minute decisions are expected to sway the final outcome of a neck-and-neck race.

The parties are trying to unify their supporters, while also broadening their appeal to undecided voters after a two-day early voting conducted on Friday and Saturday drew a record turnout of 36.93 percent.

The two leading candidates, Lee Jae-myung of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP), in particular, have promoted different messages to woo voters.

Lee and the DPK have emphasized that he is the right candidate who can better deal with the country's economic issues with his political experience of serving as the governor of Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul and mayor of Seongnam, a city just south of the capital.

Lee said while campaigning in a street on Jeju Island, Monday, that the role of a president is not a training opportunity for "novice amateurs."

But Yoon sees things differently.

Yoon and the PPP have focused on the people's desire for a change of government, saying he, a former top prosecutor, will eradicate corruption in politics with the criteria of "justice and common sense."

"I believe the DPK can also make progress if we can clearly judge the forces led by Lee Jae-myung and sort out these people who do not know what democracy or economy is," Yoon said during a campaign in Guri, Gyeonggi Province on Monday.

Yoon Suk-yeol, presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks while campaigning at a public park in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Joint Press Corps

Yoon especially ramped up attacks against the failed real estate policies of the current administration, while campaigning in the capital area including Seoul and Gyeonggi Province from Sunday to Monday.

"The government has deliberately made this situation where housing prices soared. They said they changed real estate policies 28 times, but it is a public deception which they did on purpose," Yoon said while campaigning in Seoul's Gangdong District, Sunday.

"Their belief was that when the people own homes, they tend to be conservative and will not vote for the liberal bloc," the conservative candidate said, claiming that the current administration deliberately made it difficult for people to own homes to make the ruling party retain support.

Gender divide among younger voters shapes election

2022-03-07 09:45

Lee also admitted that the ruling bloc's real estate policies have failed in his campaigning in the capital area on Saturday and Sunday, pledging to make a complete overhaul of the real estate policies to focus more on real demand, while keeping speculators in check.

Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, speaks while campaigning on a street in Busan, Monday. Yonhap

Lee also attacked Yoon and the PPP for trying to create a gender rift while pursuing their strategies of appealing to young male voters.

"It is really bad politics that promotes hatred among the people by distorting the efforts to realize gender equality to make a frame of a battle between women and men," Lee said during a TV speech, Sunday. "I see candidate Yoon Suk-yeol's remarks creating division between women and men seriously problematic."

Both Lee and Yoon claimed they will consolidate different political forces.

Last week, Kim Dong-yeon of the New Wave and Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party pulled out of the race to support Lee and Yoon, respectively.

Kim said during a radio interview with local broadcaster CBS, Monday, that he had received requests to meet from both the DPK and the PPP and answered he would meet if they agree with his political reform plans.

"I met with candidate Yoon in mid or late February, but he did not seem to be taking my plans seriously," Kim said. "I met with DPK candidate Lee Jae-myung three times and he has shown a very active, open and consistent stance on them."

Ahn and Yoon campaigned together on Sunday and Monday.

"There is one thing that is so different from other governments after this government took power. The current administration does not know what shame is," Ahn said during their joint campaign at Starfield Hanam in Gyeonggi Province.

Minor opposition progressive Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jung speaks while campaigning in front of Chungbuk National University in North Chungcheong Province, Monday. Yonhap

Minor opposition progressive Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jung also continued on her campaign, criticizing the two major two parties of creating division among the people.

"The other presidential candidates say they are pursuing politics of unity because they know people are wary (of the current politics)," Sim said during her campaigning in front of Chungbuk National University in North Chungcheong Province. "But it is not the politics of unity to bring the minority parties to their feet."

Meanwhile, DPK Chairman Rep. Song Young-gil was hit on the head with a hammer by a 70-year-old progressive YouTuber while campaigning in Seoul's Seodaemun District, Monday. He is currently being treated at a nearby hospital.

The attacker was immediately restrained by people at the scene and taken into police custody.

Police said they were questioning the suspect on charges of violating the election law and assault.

According to an eyewitness, the man shouted at the scene saying he opposes the Korea-U.S. military exercises and cannot stand to leave behind such a world to the youth.