By Yi Whan-woo
Seoul mayoral candidate Park Won-soon said Thursday he and his wife are having difficulty dealing with the effects of a smear campaign his rival, Chung Mong-joon, has waged against his family in the run-up to the June 4 local elections.
"My wife is having a hard time nowadays, but she never expressed her feelings because she does not want to put a burden on me emotionally," he was quoted as saying in a Chosun Ilbo interview.
Chung of the ruling Saenuri Party has suggested that Park's wife, Kang Nan-hee, may be abroad and living a "cozy life" instead of supporting her husband, who claims to represent low-income families. Park said such speculation is false.
"There are several ways that a wife can support her husband. My wife has supported me without promoting her efforts to the public, including the media," he said. "She has been consistent in her support, and she did not even complain when I quit my previous job as a lawyer and donated a large part of our wealth to civil rights activities."
Chung's comments came amid a widening gap between him and Park of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) in the polls.
Park garnered 50.6 percent support compared to Chung's 31.2 percent in the latest survey released by Metrix, Tuesday.
The 19.4-percent gap between Park and Chung is up from the 12.3-percent gap in a previous Metrix poll conducted May 3-5.
The pollster said it surveyed 600 eligible voters in the nation's capital. The survey had a 4-percent margin of error.
Park, who is bidding to retain his mayoral seat, said Chung's new campaign strategy will not succeed.
"I want to make clear a negative campaign strategy will not succeed because the people of Seoul are smart enough to distinguish it," he said.
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| Park Won-soon, Seoul mayoral candidate of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, talks to housewives during his campaign stop at a park in Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap |
"My wife is having a hard time nowadays, but she never expressed her feelings because she does not want to put a burden on me emotionally," he was quoted as saying in a Chosun Ilbo interview.
Chung of the ruling Saenuri Party has suggested that Park's wife, Kang Nan-hee, may be abroad and living a "cozy life" instead of supporting her husband, who claims to represent low-income families. Park said such speculation is false.
"There are several ways that a wife can support her husband. My wife has supported me without promoting her efforts to the public, including the media," he said. "She has been consistent in her support, and she did not even complain when I quit my previous job as a lawyer and donated a large part of our wealth to civil rights activities."
Chung's comments came amid a widening gap between him and Park of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) in the polls.
Park garnered 50.6 percent support compared to Chung's 31.2 percent in the latest survey released by Metrix, Tuesday.
The 19.4-percent gap between Park and Chung is up from the 12.3-percent gap in a previous Metrix poll conducted May 3-5.
The pollster said it surveyed 600 eligible voters in the nation's capital. The survey had a 4-percent margin of error.
Park, who is bidding to retain his mayoral seat, said Chung's new campaign strategy will not succeed.
"I want to make clear a negative campaign strategy will not succeed because the people of Seoul are smart enough to distinguish it," he said.
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