Pyeongtaek-eul in Gyeonggi Province has emerged as the biggest battleground in the by-election held alongside the June 3 local elections. Major party candidates — Kim Yong-nam of the Democratic Party of Korea, Cho Kuk of the Rebuilding Korea Party, and Yoo Ui-dong of the People Power Party — are in a dead heat in polls, and Kim Jae-yeon of The Progressive Party and Hwang Kyo-ahn of the Liberty and Innovation Party also have a notable presence. With conservative and progressive candidates tangled without unification, a five-way race through to the finish appears possible.
In a poll conducted by pollster Metavoice for JTBC of 502 adults living in the Pyeongtaek-eul district on the 4th and 5th, released on the 7th, Cho Kuk ranked first with 26% support. Kim Yong-nam was second with 23%, and Yoo Ui-dong was third with 18%. The survey was conducted with 100% wireless telephone interviews, had a margin of error of ±4.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, and a response rate of 11.6%. In other words, first through third are in a neck-and-neck race within the margin of error. For details, see the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.
ChosunBiz visited the Pyeongtaek-eul district on the 8th and met Cho Kuk, Kim Yong-nam, and Yoo Ui-dong, who were in the thick of campaigning. We asked the three candidates about the key issues and winning strategies in this election, and their calculus on unification.
◇Cho Kuk: "Being No. 1 in polls is meaningless… I will seep into citizens"
Regarding the poll showing him in first place, Cho Kuk said, "Early results within the margin of error are meaningless," adding, "Our party's organization is weak, so I think talking and communicating with citizens comes first, and I'm trying to seep in by getting out there a lot."
Wearing jeans and a white jumper that day, Cho met seniors at the Seobu Senior Welfare Center. Greeting seniors one by one as they left after senior college, he stressed, "I will live up to my name. Not just work hard but deliver for sure. I may be a freshman, but I will be the top student."
When talk turned to connecting units in Kim Yong-nam's context, Cho raised his voice. "In Pyeongtaek-eul, it's hard to connect each unit from the township level outward," he said. "You can easily see why I put transportation first in my pledges." He added, "Beyond the KTX Gyeonggi Southern Station, West Pyeongtaek is underdeveloped, and we plan to develop toward Poseung or Cheongbuk."
When asked about Kim Yong-nam, Cho raised his voice. He said, "This is not about demanding an apology from Kim Yong-nam to me personally; it's about what he said as a politician back when he was with the People Power Party or the Reform Party. He made remarks about the Sewol ferry disaster, the deadly crowd crush in the nightlife district of Itaewon, and the case of farmer Baek Nam-gi that hurt the bereaved families, so I'm asking him to apologize for that."
Cho said, "Offer an apology first, and then let's discuss what policies to pursue for the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration," adding, "The Sewol families issued a statement; they're not doing negative campaigning, are they? Since (Kim Yong-nam) officially refused to apologize, I can't say anything more, but that's his choice."
On his wife, Jung Kyung-sim, visiting a local temple, Cho said, "The temple asked me to come, but I couldn't, so my spouse went instead," adding, "Going forward, it will be very rare for my spouse to come."
◇Kim Yong-nam: "Someone is posing as a Democratic Party candidate… time will resolve it"
Kim Yong-nam appeared at Gyeonggi Jeil Credit Union in Anjung-eup, Pyeongtaek. Perhaps to emphasize that he is the Democratic Party candidate, Kim posed for photos with citizens while making a "No. 1" with his hand.
Kim said, "There's a lot to do here (Pyeongtaek-eul). I want to tell you that someone who likes to work has come," adding, "This area is wide, but there are far too many problems to solve."
He cited the establishment of the West Pyeongtaek Police Station as a signature pledge. "When I was a lawmaker in Suwon, I did it in a year, so I can do it again this time," Kim said. "Beyond that, we will build an industrial base in West Pyeongtaek." He also said he would urgently promote growing the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions) industry centered on the Pyeongtaek Lake tourism complex and creating a circulatory transportation system.
Kim also sparred with Cho Kuk. "There seems to be a candidate acting as if he's the Democratic Party candidate, which is confusing some supporters," Kim said. "Since this is an election where we run under party numbers, I think time will resolve that issue." He added, "Their party affiliation is different, so I have no idea what that party's political orientation or values are. Are they admitting they're a knockoff of the Democratic Party?"
Kim said party leader Jung Chung-rae will personally attend the campaign office opening scheduled for next week. "Jung Chung-rae is serving as my fundraising chair. It matters that the leader is coming," Kim said.
◇Yoo Ui-dong: "Cho Kuk and Kim Yong-nam only fight each other, not talk about Pyeongtaek"
Yoo Ui-dong is a senior lawmaker of the People Power Party who has served three terms in Pyeongtaek-eul. Unlike Cho Kuk and Kim Yong-nam, his long record of activity in the district is seen as a strength.
Yoo also stressed this point. "Is there anything in the fighting between Cho Kuk and Kim Yong-nam that serves Pyeongtaek citizens?" he said. "Neither of them talks about Pyeongtaek; they just bicker every day over past remarks. They are unqualified."
Yoo emphasized transportation pledges. "I was the lead sponsor of a bill to extend the GTX by 60 kilometers, and it's included in the presidential campaign pledges," he said. "We've finalized the KTX addition and the GTX extension, but they're not in operation yet, so to complete this, you need someone who has worked on rail. I tout the fact that I'm vetted."
◇Hwang Kyo-ahn and Kim Jae-yeon will go to the end
Kim Bae-gon, Head of Team for public relations at The Progressive Party who is helping candidate Kim Jae-yeon, also highlighted the party's strengths. "Pyeongtaek's Paengseong and the west have borne much national harm, so some support us because The Progressive Party speaks up," Kim said. "People say Godeok is Samsung, but regular employees live in Suwon, Dongtan, or Bundang, and more Godeok residents work for Samsung Electronics subcontractors. It's the labor vote, and there are many young people."
Kim emphasized the Special Act on Support for Pyeongtaek. "It promised special support, but what has actually come to Pyeongtaek so far is just over 1 trillion won," he said. "We're focusing on how to use state funds to build infrastructure and how to spread Samsung's excess profits evenly across the Pyeongtaek area."
Hwang Kyo-ahn could not be met that day due to a schedule in Seoul. Instead, his spouse, Choi Ji-young, expressed confidence in victory. "When we greet commuters, those in their 20s and 30s respond well, and seniors all know that Hwang went on a hunger strike," Choi said. "My spouse and I have been living in Anjung, Pyeongtaek since mid-January. We've been fighting alleged election fraud for five to six years, and the response is very good."