Two Assembly seats up for grabs in Wednesday by-elections

Yeo Young-guk, second from left, a candidate from the liberal Justice Party, holds hands together with Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Hae-chan, second from right and Justice Party Chairwoman Lee Jeong-mi, left, calling for support during a street campaign in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Park Ji-won

Voters will elect two lawmakers in by-elections Wednesday, which may serve as a litmus test for the general election next year. Rival parties conducted last-minute campaigns to attract more votes Tuesday in the relevant precincts.

The two seats up for grabs are in Changwon and the Tongyeong-Goseong precinct in South Gyeongsang Province. The by-elections are being held following the death of the late Roh Hoe-chan of the liberal Justice Party and the guilty verdict for Rep. Lee Gun-hyeon of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) for Election Law violation.

Liberal politicians have received strong voter support in the industrial city of Changwon except in 2012 when Kang Ki-yoon of the Saenuri Party took the seat. Yeo Young-guk of the Justice Party, a former district councilor for Changwon, became the sole left-wing candidate in the region for this by-election as the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) agreed to back him in order to ensure a liberal victory.

A recent poll showed Yeo is leading the race with support of 44.8 percent, followed by Kang Ki-yoon of the LKP with 35.7 percent, signaling that there is a higher possibility of the ruling camp grasping the seat. But the result still remains uncertain as Kang is narrowing the gap, backed by the active electioneering of LKP Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is the preferred prospective presidential candidate.

If the Justice Party does win the seat, it is highly possible the liberal party will launch a negotiating bloc with another minor party ― the Party for Democratic and Peace ― which will give the minor parties a larger voice in legislative activities. A negotiation group in the National Assembly can only be formed when at least 20 legislators join in. The joint bloc between the two parties was formed April last year but disbanded following Roe's death in July.

Kang Ki-yoon, right, a candidate from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), flashes the V-sign during his street campaign, assisted by LKP leader Hwang Kyo-ahn, in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Yonhap

Meanwhile, Tongyeong-Goseong has been a long-time stronghold for the conservatives.

A recent poll showed the LKP's candidate Jung Jeom-sik is leading the race with support of 57.2 percent, followed by Yang Moon-suk of the DPK with 29.7 percent. Since 1963, candidates from conservative parties have won the most in the region. Backed by the negative sentiment against the LKP, the DPK won the heads of Tongyeong City and Goseong-gun in July 13 local elections. If Yang wins the parliamentary seat, it will be the first time for a candidate from the liberal circle to win the post in 28 years.

Expectations are high that Jung will take the seat. If he wins the seat, it will be a meaningful step for Hwang in solidifying his presence in the party as it will be the first seat won since the former justice minister took office. However, the election results remain uncertain as Jung is suspected of giving money to a reporter in return for him writing favorable stories to swing the election. The reporter allegedly filed a complaint against him for violating the Election Law.

Wednesday's voting will begin at 6 a.m. and run through 8 p.m. The turnout for early voting for two lawmakers and three local councilors held between Friday and Saturday reached 14.37 percent, while the turnout for the parliamentary by-elections were at 14.71 percent.