On the 18th, Seo Beom-soo of the People Power Party shaved his head, saying, "For all the blame, reproach and 'switch' over the disappointing aspects of the central party until now, please direct them in Ulju County at me, Seo Beom-soo, the symbol of central politics."
That afternoon, Seo held an emergency news conference at Ulsan Ulju Jungbu Comprehensive Welfare Town and stated accordingly, saying, "Since the Dec. 3 martial law, the People Power Party has fallen short of the public's expectations and caused much disappointment."
Seo said, "The June 3 local election candidates are standing at the starting line, carrying on their whole bodies the weight of faults they did not even commit," adding, "This is far too harsh. The difficult situation ahead of the election stems from the central party and central politics."
He went on, "As one of the politicians at the very center of this confusion, I cannot bring myself to lift my head to you. I offer my apologies repeatedly," adding, "Because I know that apologies in words have already lost their weight, I will show my sincerity by shaving my head."
He added, "When I decided to shave my head, my family and aides strongly dissuaded me, saying, 'Will public sentiment return just because you shoulder it?' and 'You could be criticized as putting on an election-season show,'" and said, "But if I don't do this, I cannot look our candidates straight in the eye. Above all, the fact that they may lose a precious opportunity for reasons not of their own fault weighs on me."
Seo said, "Hair grows back. But the injustice our candidates are carrying will not disappear on its own with time. The moment hair falls to the ground, I will also put down the arrogance of central politics," adding, "Pour all your anger and disappointment onto me. For the wrongs of central politics, rebuke me."
He continued, "In return, I earnestly ask that you evaluate our local election candidates objectively," and appealed, "Judge by the candidates' pledges and abilities who knows our Ulju better and understands our neighbors more deeply."
While Seo was shaving his head, a citizen at the scene protested, saying, "Jang Dong-hyuk should be doing this—why is Seo Beom-soo shaving his head? Call Jang Dong-hyuk." Seo took part in the vote to lift martial law on Dec. 3.
Meanwhile, in Ulsan, the Democratic Party of Korea and The Progressive Party recently agreed to pursue a single candidacy for Ulsan mayor. In the conservative camp, Kim Doo-kyum of the People Power Party and independent candidate Park Maeng-woo are running.