Rival parties slug it out ahead of bellwether by-elections

Both the conservative People Power Party (PPP) and the liberal Democratic Party (DP) are campaigning fiercely ahead of by-elections for heads of local government positions scheduled to take place on Oct. 16.

People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon poses for a photograph with people in Busan's Geumjeong District on Sunday. [YONHAP]

Both the conservative People Power Party (PPP) and the liberal Democratic Party (DP) are campaigning fiercely ahead of by-elections for heads of local government positions scheduled to take place on Oct. 16, which are widely seen as a collective barometer of public opinion after the general election that took place in April.

The by-elections will be held to choose the heads of Incheon’s Gangwha County, Busan’s Geumjeong District and South Jeolla’s Yeonggwang and Gokseong counties, as well as the superintendent of education in Seoul.

The by-elections are also the first to take place since Han Dong-hoon was elected leader of the PPP in July and Lee Jae-myung won a second term as DP chairman in August.

While both Gangwha and Geumjeong have traditionally leaned conservative, Yeonggwang and Gokseong are located in a DP-dominated region.

As such, the leaders of both major parties face significant pressure to retain their strongholds and wrest control of the Seoul office of education to prove their mettle.

Official campaigning began on Oct. 3, with early voting to take place over two days from Oct. 10 to 11. Main voting takes places on Oct. 16.

The by-election to select the chief of Ganghwa County has been complicated by the candidacy of former Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo, who left the PPP to run as an independent in what is now a four-way race with candidates from the PPP and DP and another independent.

By contrast, the race in Geumjeong District has turned into a simple contest between conservatives and liberals after the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party founded by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk decided to throw its support behind the DP candidate to avoid fracturing the liberal vote.

In Yeonggwang and Gokseong, where conservatives stand little chance of winning, the by-elections have turned into a competition between the DP and the Rebuilding Korea Party.

The race in Yeonggwang has been particularly marred due to controversies over the candidates’ criminal records and allegations of fraud, violence and driving under the influence.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]