Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
Parties all out to win by-elections
Left: Ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moon-sung gives the thumbs-up to voters in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday, in support of candidates in the April 29 by-elections in the capital area. Right: New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) Chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in waves to supporters at a stadium in Ganghwa, Incheon, also on Sunday. / Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
Rival parties are making last-minute efforts to win at least two seats in the parliamentary by-elections scheduled for Wednesday.
A total of four seats representing Gwanak-B in Seoul; Jungwon of Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province; Seogu-B in Gwangju, and Seogu and Ganghwa-B in Incheon are up for grabs.
Despite the comparatively small number of seats being contested, the ballot is regarded as meaningful because it will be a litmus test for public sentiment a year before the 2016 general elections.
The election will also be the first head-to-head contest between the ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung and his main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) counterpart Rep. Moon Jae-in since they were elected as chairmen on July 14 and Feb. 8, respectively.
Both parties believe that their party leaders, both regarded as potential presidential candidates, will largely hinge on this election’s outcome because it will also affect their presidential ambitions.
They need to earn at least two seats or more, considering the respective setbacks they have been facing.
Rep. Lee Choon-suak, who is in charge of the NPAD promotional strategy, told reporters, Sunday, “We need to win at least half of the four districts. That will be a way for us to confirm the faith of the public in us.”
During the early stages of campaigning, it was believed that the governing party had the best chance of winning due to an expected split in the liberal vote following the declaration of opposition heavyweights to run against NPAD candidates.
The NPAD’s former senior advisor Chung Dong-young is running in Seoul’s Gwanak-B district under the Union of the People, while former justice minister Chun Jung-bae, a heavyweight during the late Roh Moo-hyun administration, is running as an independent in Gwangju’s Seogu-B constituency.
But the situation changed after a bribery scandal involving deceased Keangnam Enterprises Chairman Sung Woan-jong broke out in early April.
Sung, who was found dead April 9 after an apparent suicide, left a list of politicians who allegedly accepted bribes from him. The list mostly includes figures from the ruling party including Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo; South Gyeongsang Province Governor Hong Joon-pyo; Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok; and Rep. Hong Moon-jong.
To make the most use of the scandal, the NPAD is pressuring the governing camp to accept calls for appointing a special prosecutor to unearth the truth behind Sung’s list. It is also demanding that those involved be reprimanded, in what is seen as an apparent attempt to target the morality of the Park government.
For its part, the ruling party is highlighting the issue of economic revival, urging the NPAD to join forces to reform the debt-heavy pension system for civil servants.
“This election should play a role as an opportunity to choose talented figures to take responsibility for the local economy,” Rep. Kim Young-woo, ruling party’s spokesman, told reporters. “A motion to reform the pension system and other economy-related bills should be passed to revive the stagnant economy.”
On Sunday, with just three days to go before the election, the ruling party’s Chairman Kim visited the capital area to support its candidates running in Gwanak-B and Jungwon of Seongnam districts, while the NPAD’s Moon went to Incheon and Gwangju to woo voters there.
Meanwhile, the two-day early voting closed Saturday with a 7.6 percent voter turnout, according to the National Election Commission. This number decreased by 0.38 percentage point compared to the July by-elections.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye