The Democratic Party of Korea's preliminary primary for Seoul mayor will be held on the 23rd-24th. Using a "100% dues-paying party members" method, three of the five preliminary candidates will be selected. Park Ju-min is stepping up attacks against Chong Won-o, the head of Seongdong District.
Until now, Chong Won-o had shown an overwhelming lead, but assessments say he has lost a fair number of points after the joint debates. Attention is focused on whether the "Chong Won-o solo-run system" will be shaken in the preliminary primary.
◇ Chong Won-o tops polls, Park Ju-min second… "Mood changed after the joint debate"
At the joint debates on the 19th-20th, lawmaker Park Ju-min trained his fire on district head Chong Won-o. Park said, "On Sept. 30 last year, Deutsch Motors also sponsored the Seongdong District Head's Cup, and a scene was even released showing (Chong) drinking with the son of the Deutsch Motors chairman." Deutsch Motors is the company that appeared in suspicions of stock price manipulation involving former President Yoon Suk-yeol's wife, Kim Keon-hee.
Park made similar remarks at a National Assembly press conference on the 22nd. Park said, "Whether it engages in stock price manipulation or reaps unfair gains through unfair transaction practices and faces public criticism, should every company in the district be accepted for sponsorships and support?" adding, "(Chong) held 'dirty hands,' the dirty hand."
In response, Chong Won-o's side issued a commentary the same day, saying, "Dragging in, for factional gain, the People Power Party's raised issue of Deutsch Motors' sponsorship into our party primary is a déjà vu of the People Power Party tying together President Lee Jae-myung with Seongnam FC sponsorship," adding, "It calls to mind the old-style politics of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's political prosecutors."
It added, "We understand Park's sense of urgency ahead of the primary, but groundless slander against a fellow party candidate must be recognized as self-harm that damages the 'one-team spirit' and weakens competitiveness in the general election," adding, "Candidate Chong will head not into the swamp of negative campaigning but into the plaza of policy."
In a recent poll on suitability for Seoul mayor among the Democratic Party of Korea's preliminary candidates, district head Chong Won-o ranked first (61.2%), and lawmaker Park Ju-min ranked second (14.5%). Commissioned by Straight News and conducted by JoWon C&I over two days Feb. 28-March 1, the survey targeted 804 men and women aged 18 or older residing in Seoul. Among Democratic Party supporters in the sample, 428 people were asked about suitability for Seoul mayor among the five Democratic Party preliminary candidates, and the answers came in the order of district head Chong Won-o, lawmaker Park Ju-min, lawmaker Park Hong-keun, lawmaker Jeon Hyun-hee, and lawmaker Kim Young-bae.
Inside and outside the Democratic Party, some are also saying, "After the joint debates, the mood changed a bit." As Park and other preliminary candidates focused their attacks, Chong is said to have lost a fair number of points.
Kim Jin-ae, chair of the National Architectural Policy Committee and a former two-term Democratic Party lawmaker, appeared on YouTube channel "OhmyTV" that day and said, "Everyone is looking at candidate Chong with a squeamish eye. When asked about housing policy, he keeps evading by saying he hasn't announced it and will talk after announcing," adding, "If this continues and he faces Mayor Oh Se-hoon in the general election, he will lose."
◇ President Lee praises Park after Chong
On Dec. 8 last year, President Lee Jae-myung mentioned the statistic "92.9% satisfaction among Seongdong residents" on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "It seems district head Chong Won-o is indeed good at his job. My satisfaction rate as Seongnam mayor was quite high, but I probably can't even present my business card." In political circles, that prompted talk such as, "The president has given Chong a big boost," and "The president appears to be backing Chong, who, like him, comes from a basic local government post."
But recently the president also mentioned lawmaker Park Ju-min on X (formerly Twitter). On the 13th, sharing Park's post that the national medical school bill passed the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee, Lee said, "It's not easy; thank you for the achievement in medical reform." This time, there was talk that "the president seems to be throwing support to Park as well, a sitting lawmaker and a key preliminary candidate," and that "it seems he was conscious of the view that he had leaned entirely toward Chong."
The slugfest between district head Chong Won-o and lawmaker Park Ju-min is expected to grow more intense over time. A Democratic Party official said, "Since Park has been preparing for the Seoul mayoral election since last year, Park will not easily yield to Chong," adding, "The question is how much the Chong Won-o solo-run system will be shaken in the preliminary primary." The main primary will then be held on the 5th-7th of next month using a "50% dues-paying party members, 50% public opinion poll" method.
The opinion poll mentioned in the article is an ARS poll (100% mobile phone virtual numbers, random sampling by proportional allocation by gender, age group, and region) with a response rate of 5.6%. The sampling error is ±3.5 percentage points (p) at the 95% confidence level. For details, refer to the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.