Opposition bloc hopes to clinch at least 10 seats in the southeast region


One of the biggest questions in the 19th parliamentary elections is whether the ruling party will be able to halt the liberal surge in the country’s southeastern Yeongnam region.

Though the area has long been a conservative stronghold, public sentiment there has soured in recent years due to the cancellation of a plan for a new international airport and the savings banks corruption scandal.

The allegation that the government led illicit surveillance of civilians has also contributed to a fall in the ruling party’s support.

The conservatives’ support has been further threatened by the main opposition Democratic United Party’s strategy of allocating its highest-profile members as candidates in the area.

The most prominent example is Moon Jae-in, who is on the DUP’s supreme council and is viewed as a potential presidential candidate. Moon has taken the lead in Busan’s Sasang district over his rival Son Su-jo, a novice candidate of the ruling Saenuri Party.

Rep. Kim Boo-kyum, too, threw down the gauntlet in Daegu, the political home of Saenuri Party leader Rep. Park Geun-hye and a major center of conservative support.

For the liberal candidates, the election is about more than just a parliamentary seat and a National Assembly majority as victory would put the ruling party on the back foot ahead of the presidential election in December.

“Voters no longer lay their trust on the party itself but rather prioritize the detailed policies or characters of individual candidates,” said Lee Chung-hee, professor of political science at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

“This could be regarded as progress in their political awareness.”

The general animosity toward the current administration also has led to nostalgia for former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun, whose hometown was Gimhae, near Busan.

“Even if the left-wing alliance fails to win more than 10 seats in Yeongnam, as it earlier pledged to do, it will nevertheless prove its influence in the region, should its runners play a tight game against ruling party opponents,” said an official of the Korea Society Opinion Institute.

The liberal resurgence has caused alarm within the ruling party, with chairwoman Park upping the frequency of her visits to Busan, reflecting her determination to keep hold of the second largest city.

“We may no longer take the conservative voters’ ballots for granted and now face an unusually hard fight in Busan and other cities in Yeongnam,” said a party official.

Another reason for the parties’ fierce competition over Yeongnam is because the region holds 67 parliamentary seats, compared to 30 in the southwest.

Taking dominance in Yeongnam would not only be a major victory for the liberal bloc in a traditionally conservative area, but an indicator of the party’s ability to keep a parliamentary majority in the future.

The Saenuri Party, however, remains optimistic over the outcome.

“Public figures such as Moon Jae-in and Moon Sung-keun turned out to have swayed the voters, but many will still vote for the right-wing party in other regions,” said a party official.

“Despite their disapproval of the Lee Myung-bak government, people still feel that their political allegiance lies with the Saenuri Party and its leader Rep. Park.”

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)