Chang Says He "Kept the Spark of Hope Alive" Amid Resignation Calls

Chang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party (PPP), said on Facebook on Wednesday that he was "sorry" about the results of the June 3 local elections, but also offered his own assessment that "it was a difficult election, but we kept the spark of hope alive." He stressed that he "will not turn away from the grave responsibility entrusted to me and will find a new path together with party members." Among the 16 metropolitan government heads, in addition to North Gyeongsang, Daegu, and South Gyeongsang, he placed significance on holding Seoul, which is interpreted as drawing a line against calls for the leadership to resign en masse that were raised both inside and outside the party. Chang was shunned even within his own party, to the point of being refused support campaigning in some regions. It is questionable whether brushing off resignation calls with words about keeping the spark of hope alive is desirable for rebuilding the conservative bloc.

PPP candidate Oh Se-hoon, once his victory in the Seoul mayoral election was confirmed on Wednesday, said, "Seoul's biggest pending issue is, above all else, the real estate problem." Some analyses point to Oh's late-campaign message—"Please check a government that is driving ordinary citizens into a real estate hell"—as the driving force behind his come-from-behind win. Indeed, Oh won in the three Gangnam districts as well as Yongsan, Yangcheon, Yeongdeungpo, Dongjak, Gangdong, and Jung districts. Shouldn't the government also scrap the various regulations that cause problems such as the rental housing crunch, and start by introducing measures to stabilize housing for ordinary people?