Main opposition fails to capitalize on by-election advantage
Oh Se-hoon, second from right, is congratulated by main opposition People Power Party (PPP) interim head Kim Chong-in, right, at the PPP's headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday, after winning a party primary to choose the candidate for the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election. Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is failing to capitalize on its advantage over the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections taking place on April 7.
The by-elections in the nation's two largest cities are being held to choose the successors of two former disgraced mayors ― Park Won-soon of Seoul and Oh Keo-don of Busan ― who both belonged to the DPK.
Oh stepped down over sexual harassment allegations in April 2020, and Park committed suicide after learning that sexual harassment allegations were about to be raised against him in July of the same year.
The DPK drew criticism months later as it decided to revise its internal regulation and field candidates in both cities. The previous regulation banned the party from fielding a candidate for the post of a municipal head or a legislator in a by-election held due to a party member's own wrongdoing.
After trailing behind the DPK for years in approval ratings, the PPP has yet to achieve a dramatic turnaround in winning voter sentiment.
Park Young-sun, right, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's Seoul mayoral candidate in the April 7 by-elections, visits an art exhibition at COEX in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
In Seoul, none of the PPP's four hopefuls in the primary for its mayoral candidate had beaten the DPK's highly decorated contender Park Young-sun in one-on-one approval rating polls.
On Thursday, the PPP selected as its Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon, who already served as mayor of the capital from 2006 to 2011. Oh beat his rival Na Kyung-won, a former four-term lawmaker. But the DPK's Park, formerly a four-term legislator and also ex-minister of SMEs and startups, led Oh by more than the margin of error in multiple surveys on who should be elected as the next Seoul mayor.
The low popularity of Oh and Na consistently prompted a need for the PPP to merge with rival candidate Ahn Cheol-soo, who leads the minor opposition People's Party.
Also a 2017 presidential contender, Ahn has led Park or has been neck and neck with her in several surveys conducted under the premise that the two were the only Seoul mayoral candidates.
“The PPP had months to recruit new faces who could refresh the party's image ahead of the April 7 by-election in Seoul. And it appears the party's only winning strategy is to merge with Ahn,” a political analyst said on condition of anonymity. “It's pretty pathetic.”
The analyst forecast a tight race for Ahn, even if he manages to beat Park after becoming a single unified candidate for the opposition bloc.
“The PPP should be ashamed of itself because all it can do is to rely on a candidate from a far smaller party,” he said, noting the PPP has 102 of the 300 National Assembly seats while the People's Party has only three.
Park Heong-joon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) gives a speech at the party headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday, after winning the party's primary for the Busan mayoral by-election. Yonhap
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) hopefuls for the Busan mayoral by-election candidacy join an open discussion in Busan, Tuesday. Yonhap
The situation for the PPP may be better in Busan, according to analysts, pointing out PPP candidate Park Heong-joon has topped favorability polls irrespective of parties.
A former senior secretary for political affairs under former President Lee Myung-bak, Park won the Busan mayoral candidacy by clinching more than half of the votes in the PPP primary, Thursday.
The DPK has yet to finalize its candidate.
The analysts, however, viewed the situation can change as the government and the DPK have been highlighting a project recently to build a new airport on Busan's Gadeok Island.
On Feb. 25, President Moon Jae-in visited the site of the envisioned airport, prompting backlash from the PPP that he is meddling in the election in favor of the DPK.
Moon was accompanied by DPK Chairman Lee Nak-yon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Byeon Chang-heum, Busan Acting Mayor Lee Byung-jin, Ulsan Mayor Song Chul-ho and South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo.
The President said the airport construction will offer support for a joint initiative between local governments in southwestern Korea, namely Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province, to form a communal socio-economic “megacity” sphere for long-term regional prosperity.
“The DPK must have concluded that it can't beat the PPP in Busan when it comes to candidates and decided to divert voters' attention to the government-initiated airport project,” said Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University.
Shin speculated the PPP, to help Park to maintain the lead, will need to come up with a corresponding issue that can take voters' attention away from the airport issue.
“Unfortunately, I don't see that potential from the PPP,” the professor said.
Hwang Tae-soon, a political commentator, voiced a similar view, arguing PPP interim chief Kim Chong-in had sought to politicize the Moon administration's brainstorming of an idea to set up nuclear power plant in North Korea, but it did not work.
The nuclear plant idea was brought up by the working-level officials at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy as a possible cross-border project in case economic cooperation with the North is facilitated.
The PPP accused the Moon administration of committing actions “benefiting the enemy,” given that the President has pushed to phase out nuclear energy here.
Cheong Wa Dae and the DPK countered by calling the accusation an outdated revival of the “northern winds” ― the term refers to allegations of threats from the North that were orchestrated by the PPP's predecessors in previous elections to stir up concerns over national security and accordingly benefit conservative candidates.
“The PPP had enough time to materialize an election strategy, and a failed attempt to revive northern winds was the best the party could think of,” Hwang said. “The ideological confrontation does not interest voters as much as it did in the past and the PPP does not seem to understand that.”
The analysts speculated mass vaccination being carried out by the government against COVID-19 since Feb. 26 will not be in favor of the PPP.
The PPP previously criticized the Moon administration for acquiring vaccines late compared to other advanced countries.
“The PPP may bring up the sluggish economy as a reason to punish the government in the by-elections. But the voters know the economic downturn amid the pandemic has been a global phenomenon and would not buy that argument,” Shin said.
Hwang said a planned relief fund by the government can be “another minus factor” for the PPP.
“Hardly any voters will go against the government that gives financial assistance,” he said.