Anjeong-eup in Pyeongtaek is considered the core of the Pyeongtaek-eul constituency, where a National Assembly by-election will be held on Jun. 3. When visited on the 8th, Anjeong-eup made it plain at a glance that this is the fiercest battleground of this by-election.
Banners for multiple candidates running in the by-election and the Pyeongtaek mayoral race filled the facades of buildings facing each other along the main road. Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kim Yong-nam, Rebuilding Korea Party candidate Cho Kuk, People Power Party candidate Yoo Ui-dong, The Progressive Party candidate Kim Jae-yeon, and Liberty and Innovation candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn all set up campaign offices here.
No fewer than five candidates are in the race, and three of them are party leaders. In terms of weight alone, it is fiercer than the three-way contest in Busan Buk-gap. Another point to watch is that there are three progressive candidates and two conservative candidates. The calculations for a single candidacy among the Democratic Party of Korea, the Rebuilding Korea Party, and The Progressive Party are tangled in a complicated way.
Reactions from residents met during reporting varied widely. A person surnamed Min (77, male), who lives in Anjeong-eup, said, "They are trying to use a special counsel to clear Lee Jae-myung of charges, and we need to elect someone who will stop that," adding, "Yoo Ui-dong is from this area and is better." Min said, "Hwang Kyo-ahn would do well too, but for now we need to unite as one."
A taxi driver surnamed Kim (70, male), with whom there was a brief conversation while riding a taxi, said, "Cho Kuk doesn't even know where Pyeongtaek is located, so why is he running here?" adding, "I don't really know who Kim Yong-nam is either, and I think the old hand is the best hand. I think it's Yoo Ui-dong."
By contrast, a person surnamed Oh (64, male) said, "Unlike the past, a huge number of young people have moved into Pyeongtaek now," adding, "Because the reaction to martial law is bad, it won't be easy for Yoo Ui-dong either, and in the end the Democratic Party of Korea candidate will win."
A person surnamed Seo (37, female), met in Cheongbuk-eup, said she was torn between Cho Kuk and Kim Yong-nam. Seo said, "I recently ran into Representative Cho Kuk, and it felt like seeing a celebrity," adding, "But the Democratic Party of Korea also has a decent candidate, so I'm thinking about whom to support."
Public opinion split sharply over Cho Kuk. A person surnamed Choi (25, male), who said he attends Hanshin University, said, "I haven't seen anyone in their 20s who supports Cho Kuk. The college admissions scandal left a big sense of deprivation," adding, "I don't think I can vote for the People Power Party, and among the candidates, Kim Yong-nam seems the most reasonable."
By contrast, a person surnamed Jung (56, female) said, "Our whole family suffered because of Yoon Suk-yeol, so we have to revive Mr. Cho Kuk," adding, "Kim Yong-nam also came from the People Power Party, so I can't trust him. Don't they keep attacking Cho Kuk?"
In political circles, many believe that in the end "single candidacy" will be the decisive watershed in Pyeongtaek. A The Progressive Party official said, "What we meant by single candidacy was an election alliance. An election alliance should be nationwide, and among those, a few places stand out, such as Pyeongtaek and Ulsan, and Busan Yeonje District mayoral races where our representative is running," adding, "It's not the final stretch yet, and it's not that there's no possibility at all, so we're watching. From the perspective of Jung Chung-rae's leadership, the key to the local elections will be the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region."
This official said, "The Rebuilding Korea Party fielded candidates across the Honam region, and I don't know what that has to do with 'zero People Power Party.'"
Single candidacy is also a hot topic in the conservative camp, including for Yoo Ui-dong and Hwang Kyo-ahn. A People Power Party official said, "There has been absolutely no proposal for single candidacy yet," but added, "We expect that consolidation will happen in the end."