Parties make last-ditch efforts to win election

Hwang Kyo-ahn, the leader of the main opposition United Future Party, asks for voters' support in Wednesday's general election, during a news conference in Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

By Kang Seung-woo

The rival political parties were engaged in last-minute campaigns in Seoul and its surrounding area on the eve of election day, Tuesday, in attempts to win over swing voters.

On the last day of the 13-day official campaign period, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) asked citizens to ensure administrative stability amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) stressed the need to deliver a judgment on the government's performance.

The general election to make up the 300-seat National Assembly will be held nationwide today from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Seoul and its neighboring regions ― Gyeonggi Province and Incheon ― are seen as the most important political battlefields given that a total of 121 parliamentary seats are up for grabs there.

Lee Nak-yon, a former prime minister who is running in the Jongno district in central Seoul, was committed to his own campaign Tuesday, after previously visiting regional constituencies across the country to support fellow candidates as a co-chairman of the DPK's campaign committee.

While taking to the streets in Jongno, he asked voters to cast their ballots for him as well as Civil Together, the DPK's “satellite party,” to gain additional proportional representation seats. He expressed support for DPK candidates in districts adjacent to Jongno.

During a party meeting held earlier in the day at the National Assembly, Lee said it was essential for the DPK to become the largest in parliament to allow the Moon administration to smoothly operate state affairs.

“The economic damage from the COVID-19 outbreak is getting serious,” he said. “In this time, confusion in state administration would be a disaster. It is necessary for the DPK to secure enough seats.”

Lee Nak-yon, left, the candidate for the Jongno District on the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) ticket, holds a joint election campaign with fellow DPK candidate Park Sung-joon running in the Seongdong-B constituency in Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap

Former presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok, who has played a supportive role on the DPK's campaign trail despite having no election committee title, also joined Lee later in the day. This was the first time that Im participated in Lee's election campaign.

The UFP, meanwhile, urged voters to give it the power to stop the Moon administration's “dictatorship,” saying the general election should be a judgment on the incumbent government. Their appeal came as the DPK and other liberal parties are predicted to secure as many as 180 seats, while the conservative party may obtain fewer than 100.

“Should the legislative branch be filled with pro-government figures as well as the administrative and judicial branches, the Moon administration's dictatorship will be on full display,” UFP Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn said during a press conference in front of Bosingak, a large bell-holding pavilion in Jongno.

“The DPK is elated about predictions of winning 180 parliamentary seats in the election. Should this be realized, the country will be in despair with the economy worsening and livelihoods failing.”

Kim Chong-in, co-head of the UFP's campaign committee, visited 12 constituencies in Seoul, imploring voters to support the party's candidates.

Urging people to judge the current government's failed economic policies, he said, “This election is the last exit to the country's survival.”