'Kingmakers' are in demand ahead of local elections

Moon Jae-jin

By Ko Dong-hwan

Local election candidates are competing to be seen with so-called “kingmakers,’’ or popular politicians who can generate clout and exposure, as the June 4 ballot day nears.

The busiest kingmaker is Moon Jae-jin, who lost the 2012 presidential vote to Park Geun-hye, but continues to be the spiritual anchor of the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD).

NPAD candidates are scrambling to lock Moon into showing up as their rallies. Moon had been a close ally to late President Roh Moo-hyun, the last president produced from the liberal front, and candidates believe that a sighting of Moon would move the hearts of younger voters who positively rate Roh’s legacy.

Park Ji-won, the grizzled political veteran and former chief of staff for late President Kim Dae-jung, is also in popular demand from candidates.

Candidates in the North and South Jeolla Province areas hope that the presence of Park, whose political identity is permanently tied with the Nobel Peace Prize winner, will help secure the support of voters in the region. Park is also frequently seen at rallies in Incheon, Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Provinces, where NPAD candidates are in close contention with their rivals from President Park Geun-hye’s Saenuri Party.

Former Gyeonggi Province governor Sohn Hak-kyu and NPAD floor leader Park Young-sun, a former television journalist who has a strong support among young people and women, are also popular as kingmakers.