Voters of Gwanak-B district hope for change

By Kim Hyo-jin

Voters exiting a polling station in Seoul’s Gwanak-B district, Wednesday, a stronghold for opposition parties over the past 27 years, expressed hope for change, while criticizing the current state of party politics.

“Nothing has changed over nearly three decades though the opposition party took power in this district. Their pledges remained mere rhetoric,” said Kim Myeong-hwan, 45, after casting his ballot.

“I voted for a candidate who can actually bring changes to our town. It has nothing to do with which party he belongs to anymore,” he added.

“Look, how prosperous Seocho and Gangnam are. While we have earned no benefit for being loyal to the opposition parties, districts near Gwanak have been quickly developed thanks to capable ruling party lawmakers,” said Song Sang-ho, 80, referring to the district’s comparatively underdeveloped economic state.

“Casting a ballot today means judging that failure for me,” he said.

In the Gwanak-B constituency, opposition candidates have beaten conservatives since the first democratic general elections in 1988. The district has remained a traditional stronghold for liberal parties.

However, a different move has been detected during the by-elections campaigns. Recent opinion polls showed that the ruling Saenuri Party's Oh Shin-hwan was ahead of Jung Tae-ho of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) and Chung Dong-young running under the Union of the People umbrella.

Some voters said that they encouraged themselves to change their voting behavior because the term for the winner will last only one year until the general election is held next year.

“I thought I had nothing to lose giving a shot for a candidate of the party I have never voted for if it was a five year term,” Lee Young-gil, 75, said.

Voters seemed deeply disappointed with politics in general in the wake of the bribery scandal involving deceased Keangnam Enterprises Chairman Sung Woan-jong and a number of figures from the governing camp.

Although the NPAD has called for voters to judge the tarnished Park Geun-hye government in the by-elections, it appears to have failed to avoid the aftermath of the scandal.

“I doubt the opposition party can get away from the issue of taking bribes. Both the ruling and opposition party should take responsibility for the scandal,” Kim Sook-hyang, 58, said.

Thirty-one-year-old Lee Ji-eun voiced a similar opinion, saying, “I voted for an independent candidate to raise awareness of the people’s discontent with both parties.”