The People Power Party took direct aim at Democratic Party of Korea Seoul mayoral candidate Chong Won-o's comment about "reducing the supply of cars in Seoul." Chong Won-o's campaign committee pushed back against the People Power Party's criticism, saying it "intentionally misread the remark."
Kim Jae-seop of the People Power Party on the 24th shared on Facebook an article headlined "Chong Won-o's proposal to reduce car supply as a solution to traffic congestion sparks backlash," and said, "The claim that we should reduce the supply of cars as a solution to traffic congestion is a tactic I'm seeing for the first time in my life."
He continued, "By this logic, we could easily rein in Seoul housing prices. Just get rid of all the homes in Seoul," adding, "Candidate Chong Won-o is really something."
Kim also said, "You presented a pledge to make Seoul a 'G2 city' competing with international cities like New York, and that can be done right away. Just get rid of London, Shanghai, and Tokyo," adding, "What did Seoul citizens do to deserve having to regard Chong Won-o as a Seoul mayoral candidate?"
Floor leader Song Eon-seog of the same party also wrote on Facebook that day, "Are you saying you will reduce the supply of cars? How do you plan to do that? Is that even possible?" adding, "Surely you don't mean to reduce the number of Seoul residents who drive cars."
He went on, "As a measure to ease Seoul's overpopulation, you'll cut apartment supply; as a measure to address youth unemployment, you'll just reduce the number of young people. If Candidate Chong becomes mayor, it seems the Seoul city government will push these kinds of policies."
Earlier, on the 22nd, at an event in Jung District, Seoul, Candidate Chong was quoted as telling young people, "If there is demand and supply, if we just reduce the supply, there's no reason to widen roads," adding, "It costs truly astronomical money to widen roads, and even if you widen them, if more cars increase, it's the same."
Park Kyung-mi, spokesperson for Candidate Chong Won-o's campaign, immediately issued a statement, saying, "It is an intentional misreading of Candidate Chong Won-o's 'traffic dispersion' solution," adding, "It reveals a poverty of 'political literacy,' rising to the level of forcing a far-fetched argument by ripping remarks out of context."
She continued, "Candidate Chong is saying we should disperse passenger car traffic by expanding flexible work arrangements and remote work, and ease rush-hour road congestion," emphasizing, "It's not about getting rid of cars, but about reducing the need to use them."