The North Jeolla governor race is turning into a razor-thin contest between the Democratic Party of Korea and an independent candidate. In a poll conducted by Hangil Research on the 16th–17th of 1,001 North Jeolla residents aged 18 or older, commissioned by the Saejunbuk Newspaper, independent candidate Kim Kwan-young recorded 42.1% support, while Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Won-taek recorded 40.5%. The gap of 1.6 percentage points between the two is within the margin of error (±3.1 percentage points), making it a dead heat.
In eight past local elections, the North Jeolla governorship has always been won by the Democratic Party of Korea candidate without major difficulty. As the area strongly carried the image of a Democratic stronghold, it drew little attention from national politics or the media, but in this election it has become one of the biggest battlegrounds.
It is a contest between Lee Won-taek and Kim Kwan-young, but some analysts say voters' preferences toward party leader Jung Chung-rae are actually deciding the race. In the Democratic Party of Korea primary for North Jeolla governor, Kim was cut early over allegations of paying proxy driving fees. Afterward, in last year's party convention, Lee Won-taek, who supported Jung, was selected as the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for North Jeolla governor. When Kim was expelled from the Democratic Party of Korea, he ran as an independent. A political source said, "There is a strong perception in the region that Lee Won-taek is Jung Chung-rae's person, and Kim Kwan-young is also pursuing a strategy of separating Jung's leadership and the Democratic Party of Korea," adding, "Evaluations of Jung Chung-rae seem likely to have some impact on the election result."
◇ "You shouldn't vote just by party… they look down on North Jeolla people"
Seo, a woman in her 60s (65), met at Iksan Jungang Market on the 18th, said she would vote for independent candidate Kim Kwan-young. Seo, who runs a snack shop at the market, raised her voice, saying the Democratic Party of Korea looks down on Iksan residents. Seo said, "We used to vote unconditionally if someone just got the Democratic Party of Korea nomination, but we haven't even seen a single campaign visit," adding, "Now we shouldn't vote just by party."
A banker surnamed Kim, a woman in her 50s (55), also met in Iksan, said, "I don't know if the Democratic Party of Korea thinks this area is a fish already caught so they don't even feed it, but I've lived here since I was young and I've never properly seen a politician's face," adding, "There is a lot of dissatisfaction in the region with the nomination process. This time I'm thinking of electing an independent governor."
A man surnamed Lee, in his 60s (69), met at the market, also said, "He brought in Hyundai Motor, hosted the Olympics, Kim Kwan-young is capable," adding, "If we vote for Kim Kwan-young and Kim Kwan-young wins, will the Democratic Party of Korea really leave Saemangeum as is? If they say they won't develop it, that's threatening North Jeolla."
There were also not a few reactions that the proxy driving fee issue, which triggered his exclusion from the primary, was not a problem. Seo, met in Iksan, said, "It's something you could give to young people." A taxi driver surnamed Kim, a man in his 60s (60), met at Gunsan Daeya Station, also said, "If a governor drank with young people, is it right to just send them off?" adding, "Frankly, I think it's fine to pay the proxy fee."
Kim said, "North Jeolla always elects the Democratic Party of Korea, but there's no development. The Democratic Party of Korea has done nothing for Saemangeum," adding, "The mood in North Jeolla now is to elect someone who gets things done."
A man in his 30s surnamed Lee, an office worker met in Jeonju, also said, "I looked it up and found Kim passed three top state exams and seems smart," adding, "Judging by the Democratic Party of Korea nomination process, I felt it was very unfair. Expelling a governor in a single day didn't make sense to me."
◇ "The president is doing well, so we should help… we should change the governor"
On the other hand, there were also strong voices saying the Democratic Party of Korea candidate should be elected. A man in his 40s surnamed Lee (49), who runs a fruit shop in Iksan, said, "The party chose Lee Won-taek, so we should follow," adding, "President Lee Jae-myung is doing well, and the party shouldn't have discord."
Lee said, "At first everyone around me says they'll vote independent, but when the lid comes off, it ends up being the Democratic Party of Korea," adding, "Hard-core party members can't help it."
A man surnamed Park (62), met in Gunsan, said, "Factories have left Gunsan and the commercial districts keep dying," adding, "Kim Kwan-young served as governor, but there are no visible results. I think it's right to switch to Lee Won-taek this time."
A woman in her 50s surnamed Oh, met on Gaeksa-gil in Jeonju (50), also said, "Kim Kwan-young was never really with the Democratic Party of Korea and is like a migratory bird," adding, "Even if we don't like it, when the party decides, I think we should follow."
A man in his 60s surnamed Lee, who runs a dried fish shop at Jeonju Sinjungang Market, also said, "No matter how strong the wind blows, in the end the person in the blue clothes will win," adding, "Jung Chung-rae is increasingly disappointing, but President Lee Jae-myung is doing well nationwide and works hard."
A man in his 40s surnamed Kang (44), who identified himself as a dues-paying Democratic Party of Korea member, also said, "Kim Kwan-young did well, but the current polling is temporary," adding, "Even if people don't like Jung Chung-rae or Lee Won-taek, President Lee Jae-myung is doing so well that many will want to back the Democratic Party of Korea this time."
The poll cited in this article was conducted by automated response on mobile phones, and the response rate was 8.5%. The sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For details, refer to the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.