Democratic Party Leadership Concentrates Support on Jeonbuk Governor Election

The leadership of the Democratic Party visited Jeonbuk on the 25th to campaign for their candidate, Lee Won-taek, in the Jeonbuk Provincial Governor election. The leadership escalated their criticism by mentioning 'spreading false information' and 'rumors' from the camp of independent candidate Kim Kwan-young. Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae defined Kim Kwan-young's claim that he 'informed the President of the inevitability of running as an independent' as a 'serious dissemination of false information' and a 'dangerous gamble that puts the President in a difficult position.' Other campaign committee attendees, including floor leader Han Byung-do, also viewed Kim's claims as 'rumors to find a political breakthrough' and criticized 'cash handouts' as the core issue leading to disqualification.

The Democratic Party leadership's decision to gather in Jeonbuk, instead of contested districts where they are in a close race with People Power Party candidates, is due to the extremely tight competition shown in two recent opinion polls. A KBS Jeonju-Embrain Public poll showed a 39% to 37% lead for candidate Lee, while a CBS-Korea Society Opinion Institute poll showed Lee at 40% versus Kim at 44.1%. This unusually close race is attributed to the combination of Kim Kwan-young's incumbent advantage and a 'Jeong Cheong-rae vs. Kim Kwan-young' dynamic, with Kim expanding his base by capitalizing on voter sentiment opposing Jeong's regional nominations in the Honam area. Kim Kwan-young stated on a radio broadcast, 'Kim Kwan-young's victory will lead to Jeong Cheong-rae's resignation.'

Kim's camp pushed back against the Democratic Party's Jeonbuk chapter initiating disciplinary procedures against three party members assisting Kim, calling it a 'selective disciplinary action intended to isolate candidate Kim.'

The total deployment of the Democratic Party leadership to Jeonbuk, nine days before the election, was influenced by growing anxiety over Democratic Party candidates struggling against progressive opposition parties and independent candidates in local government elections in the Jeonnam region. There is a view that Jeong's seven visits to the Honam region this month are directly related to this situation. A lawmaker from the Honam region commented, 'Even without considering the Jeonbuk Governor election results, the current detected cracks in public sentiment in Honam are a variable for Jeong's bid for a second term. He will have no choice but to go all out until election day.'

Opinion polls also indicated a close race. In a survey conducted by KBS Jeonju-Embrain Public from May 18-20, candidate Lee garnered 39% and candidate Kim 37%. A survey by CBS-Korea Society Opinion Institute from May 23-24 showed Lee at 40% and Kim at 44.1%.