Ruling party views Seoul mayoral race as 'poisoned chalice'

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sat, September 23, 2023 | 07:04

Politics

Ruling party views Seoul mayoral race as 'poisoned chalice'

Posted : 2022-04-03 14:08

Updated : 2022-04-04 08:55

Rep. Song Young-gil of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) speaks during a campaign speech for DPK's presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung in this March 8 file photo. Korea Times file

Ex-DPK Chairman Song Young-gil joins Seoul mayoral race

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) officially declared his bid to become the mayor of Seoul in the June 1 local elections, amid media reports that he was called upon by some members of the party to join the race.

"I became a Seoul citizen," he wrote on his social media on Friday, sharing his mixed feelings about leaving his home in Incheon. He had lived in the western port city since 1985 to dedicate his life to the labor movement there. On Friday, he moved from Incheon to Seoul, because candidates must have a physical address in the capital.

Song stepped down from his position as DPK leader after his party's presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, lost the March 9 election. He said he has been roaming around the country since then, contemplating on the election loss.

"While recovering from my ruined health and practicing to detach myself from worldly worries, I came to hear voices from some supporters of our party. Some said they are sad and couldn't hold back tears. Some said their hearts sank, while others said they stopped watching TV (because of the media frenzy surrounding President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol)," he wrote.

The former DPK chairman hinted that running for the local election is not a decision he made for his own sake, noting he was called upon to run in the June 1 local elections to save the ruling party.

He quoted the DPK's interim leader, Yoon Ho-jung, as saying that he should be prepared to run in the election if and when the party requests him to do so. Song said he ended up accepting the call.

Song's decision implies that the Seoul mayoral election will be a two-way race between him and incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

The former DPK chairman must first win the party's primary, which is not expected to be difficult, considering his influence and support base among grassroots members. Rep. Park Ju-min and a couple of other DPK members are reportedly mulling declaring their bids to run in the Seoul mayoral election. If Song wins the primary, he will likely face Mayor Oh, a formidable conservative rival who took the helm of the city last year.

Some DPK members compare the Seoul mayoral election to a "poisoned chalice," partly because it will be a daunting task for any DPK candidate to win the race.

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who ran successfully in the March 9 election on the conservative People Power Party's (PPP) ticket, was victorious in 14 out of 25 districts in Seoul. He secured 50.56 percent of support from voters in the capital, which was nearly a 5 percent lead from his DPK rival. The margin between Yoon and Lee in Seoul was much bigger than the national average of 0.73 percentage point.

Election watchers say voters in the capital have turned their backs on the DPK due to the Moon Jae-in administration's failed housing and real estate policy.

The Seoul mayoral election has long been considered to be the springboard to the presidency and attracted ambitious politicians as contenders. But this time, few DPK members have expressed their intention to run in the mayoral election, because of the negative public opinion.

The metaphor of the "poisoned chalice" came against such a backdrop.

Song himself described his candidacy as a response to the rising calls from his party, But his declaration to run in the Seoul mayoral election has caused a stir within the DPK.

Some lawmakers said it is inappropriate for Song, who was in charge of the party during the failed presidential race, to run in the local election, since he should take responsibility for the DPK's defeat.

On March 28, Rep. Woo Sang-ho of the DPK said he thinks Song should not consider running in the local election.

"He and I share one thing in common. We stepped down to take responsibility for the election results… It is unprecedented that the party chooses a certain figure who was in a leadership position in a losing election, for an election to be held right after," Woo said on a radio interview.

Woo was the floor leader of the DPK and in charge of the presidential election as a campaign manager during the presidential election. He stepped down from the post after his party's candidate lost the election.

hkang@koreatimes.co.kr