Because of an explosion at the Hanwha Aerospace factory in Yuseong District, Daejeon, on the morning of the 1st, political parties are suspending or scaling back their campaign schedules.
Democratic Party of Korea Seoul mayoral candidate Chong Won-o said during a campaign stop in Guro District that morning, "We are temporarily suspending campaigning today because of the fire," adding, "We sincerely pray there will be no casualties."
People Power Party Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon, referring to the incident, emphasized, "Rapid rescue and fire suppression are the top priority," and said, "For today's campaigning, we will completely ban dances and campaign songs, and proceed with a calm and quiet schedule."
Parties from both sides also issued messages and moved to respond to the incident. Senior spokesperson Kang Jun-hyeon of the Democratic Party of Korea said in a written briefing, "Above all, public safety is the top priority," and added, "We ask the police and fire authorities to do their utmost for rescuing people and for a swift extinguishing of the fire."
People Power Party floor leader Song Eon-seog also wrote on Facebook, "I have learned of the explosion at the Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon plant," and said, "Please respond proactively with the highest priority on minimizing casualties." He added, "We ask all local election candidates and campaign committees at every level to join in focusing their attention and concern so that casualties from the Daejeon incident can be minimized."
The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party have urgently ordered candidates nationwide and their campaign teams to ban the use of campaign songs and dances in connection with the explosion at the Hanwha Aerospace factory in Daejeon.