PPP chief urges voters to polls amid tight nationwide races

Politics

Published: 03 Apr. 2024, 18:39 Updated: 03 Apr. 2024, 18:49

PPP chief urges voters to polls amid tight nationwide races

People Power Party interim leader Han Dong-hoon speaks in a campaign in Chungju, North Chungcheong, on Wednesday, a week ahead of the April 10 general election. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

People Power Party (PPP) interim leader Han Dong-hoon on Wednesday urged voters to cast their ballots in the April 10 general election, citing the tight competition in 55 districts nationwide.

“Based on our election forecast, we are either in a tight race or trailing in 55 districts across the country,” Han said during an election campaign in Chungju, North Chungcheong, noting that 26 of these constituencies are in the greater Seoul area.

The remark came just a week before the general election, marking the PPP leader’s first public mention of the party’s election forecast.

The PPP has been conducting its own analysis of the election forecast using survey results and data collected and studied by the party’s think tank, the Yeouido Institute.

“Securing victory in these competitive regions will be decisive for the PPP,“ Han said, adding that the current election landscape is precarious.

“However, failure to do so would collapse the barrier to restrict constitutional reforms.”

To prevent potential constitutional reforms, the party needs to secure a minimum of 100 seats, one-third of the parliament's 300 seats. Currently, the liberal Democratic Party (DP) holds 180 seats in the parliament.

The PPP predicted it would win around 90 to 100 seats, while the DP predicted it would secure 110 seats or more.

Han also assured voters not to worry about casting their ballots during the early voting period, stressing that votes would be hand-counted following strong demands from the PPP and the government.

“Early voting begins on Friday,” he said. “Please just head to the voting station.”

Early voting takes place for two days on Friday and Saturday.

Democratic Party candidate Kim Jun-hyeok, running for the April 10 general election in Suwon-D constituency, speaks about his policy pledges at the Gyeonggido Assembly in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on March 14. [YONHAP]

During the Wednesday campaign, Han slammed the rival DP over controversial remarks by its leader and a candidate.

He specifically referred to recent controversial remarks by DP candidate Kim Jun-hyeok, who is running in the Suwon-D constituency of Gyeonggi. The candidate accused the founder of Ewha Womans University of forcing students to provide sexual favors to U.S. military officers during the U.S. military’s rule of the southern half of the Korean Peninsula from 1945 to 1948 on a YouTube channel in August 2022.

Following Ewha Womans University’s announcement of legal action against his remarks, Kim apologized for his “unrefined remarks” on Tuesday.

Han also criticized DP leader Lee Jae-myung for referring to PPP candidate Na Kyung-won, running in Dongjak-B District, as “nabe,” a term combining the candidate’s surname and the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Nabe also means hot pot in Japanese.

Han accused the DP of engaging in "sexist hate speech to garner votes."

PPP candidate Lee Yong-ho, running in Seodaemun-A District where Ewha Womans University is located, also demanded Kim’s prompt resignation in a statement on Wednesday, accusing the DP candidate of “glossing over and moving on by just making an apology.”

Former president Moon Jae-in, center, speaks to the press during an election campaign in Ulsan on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

Meanwhile, on the same day, officials at the presidential office responded to former President Moon Jae-in, who criticized the Yoon Suk Yeol government for being the worst administration in his lifetime during an election campaign on Monday.

Speaking with the JoongAng Ilbo, this paper’s affiliate, on Wednesday, an official from the presidential office countered Moon's criticism by saying that the past two years of the Yoon government were aimed at rectifying the previous administration's actions.

“Some 400 trillion won [$296 billion] in national debt accumulated over the five years of Moon government,” the official said.

Yoon also criticized the former government during a cabinet meeting in May last year for harming future generations with reckless expenditures.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]