With the June 3 local elections one day away, Cho Seung-rae, head of the Democratic Party's central election campaign committee, said races in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, South Gyeongsang Province, Ulsan, and North Jeolla Province are too close to call.
Cho made the remarks on CBS Radio's "Park Sung-tae's News Show" on Monday, saying, "About six metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial races are in razor-thin contests."
On the Daegu mayoral race, where the Democratic Party is seeking its first-ever local election victory, Cho expressed confidence, saying, "We are in an extremely close contest, and if every citizen who supports the Democratic Party and President Lee Jae-myung turns out to vote without exception, we will win." Regarding the influence of former President Park Geun-hye, who recently visited Daegu twice to campaign for the People Power Party candidate, Cho said, "She is someone who was impeached and even imprisoned 10 years ago for state affairs manipulation and constitutional violations." He added, "I believe sensible citizens will not agree with her actions."
On the North Jeolla gubernatorial race, classified as a tight contest amid nomination controversies and the candidacy of independent Kim Kwan-young, Cho took a swipe, saying, "Even if (Kim) wins, there will have to be a by-election." Cho said, "Kim is someone who was disciplined and expelled following discussions at the supreme council, after measures including ethics inspections and clear video confirmation of cash distribution." He added, "It cannot be justified by any rationale."
Regarding the Busan Buk-gu A National Assembly by-election, where Democratic candidate Ha Jung-woo and independent candidate Han Dong-hoon are locked in a close race, Cho said, "It was a three-way race, but as People Power Party candidate Park Min-sik dropped and those votes shifted to candidate Han, it has moved into a tight contest." He claimed, "However, based on what we have confirmed on the ground, we see significant froth around candidate Han." He added, "There are polls in which conservatives are heavily oversampled. In these oversampled polls, candidate Han tends to show high support ratings."
Cho also pushed back against criticism from Rebuilding Korea Party candidate Cho Kuk, who is running in the Pyeongtaek B by-election in Gyeonggi Province and accused the Democratic Party leadership — which has supported Democratic candidate Kim Yong-nam — of "abandoning the greater cause and being absorbed in self-serving politics." Cho countered, "On the contrary, the one practicing noisy politics by abandoning the greater cause and being absorbed in self-serving politics is Chairman Cho Kuk."
