Each candidate expected to finish campaign team organization, flesh out policies this week


Three presidential candidates are stepping up their campaigns ahead of a national holiday late this month which is crucial to voter sentiment.

With less than three months to go before election day, Rep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party, Rep. Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party and independent Ahn Cheol-soo are in a tight race, polls show.

They are expected to complete forming their campaign teams and unveil more concrete policy pledges this week to have an upper hand before the three-day Chuseok holiday begins on Saturday.

Over the weekend, the three rivals focused on economic issues which are expected to top the agenda in the December election.

Park on Sunday unveiled her new real-estate policy plan to help financially strapped house owners pay mortgages and struggling tenants find affordable houses.

Housing is seen as an issue with ordinary citizens are most concerned about.

Her plan envisions that house owners can sell some portion of their houses to pay back part of their mortgages.

The plan also allows a landlord to collateralize his or her house and take out a bank loan and a tenant to pay the interest for the loan instead of paying a high security deposit for a long-term lease.

Park also named Lee Jung-hyun, the party’s Supreme Council member, as her new publicity affairs chief in a move to strengthen communication with the public.

Lee, a former lawmaker, has worked as her official and unofficial spokesperson over the last several years.

The replacement appears intended to restore her public approval dented by her vague stance over the dictatorial rule of her late father, former President Park Chung-hee, and corruption allegations involving several of her associates.

She had so far said that her father’s legacy should be left to the judgment of history. Amid continuing controversy over Park’s recognition of her father’s records, Park is likely to announce an apologetic position this week.

“Earlier this week, she will have a time to make an apology over the past records of her father in a clear tone,” a senior ruling party member told media.

The late leader Park took power in a 1961 military coup and ruled the country until his assassination in 1979. He was touted for his efforts for the nation’s industrialization, but criticized for his dictatorial governing style.

Independent candidate Ahn, who announced his presidential bid last Wednesday, has continued to promote his policy for “innovation-based economy” stressing that “economic democratization,” welfare and growth should go together.

On Sunday, his policy network “Naeil” ― tomorrow in Korean ― held its first session to discuss policy proposals and national visions. The advisory group consists of experts from academia, civil society and various other sectors.

“The key word in political circles now is economic democratization and welfare. On top of them, there should also be innovation economy so that they can move forward like the two wheels of a bike,” he said during the forum.

On Saturday, he visited a traditional market and talked with vendors and citizens while trying to impart an image of a capable leader focusing on direct communication with people.

With a concept of “new politics,” Ahn is expected to set up his campaign office in Jongro, central Seoul, rather than Yeouido, the political center of the capital. This is part of a move to distance himself from the partisan politics with which many voters have grown disenchanted, observers said.

Amid his struggle to resolve the large task of unifying candidacy with Ahn, Moon, the DUP candidate, has reached out to job seekers, laborers, students and dismissed workers and promised that he would bring about a “revolution of job creation.”

Repeating his “people-first” mantra, Moon continued over the weekend to pledge that his envisioned administration would remain attentive to the grassroots voices and prioritize policy aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of regular citizens.

To strengthen unity in his party hit by factional strife during the three weeks of primaries, Moon, the former chief of staff to late President Roh Moo-hyun, is likely to appoint Chung Dong-young as a leading figure of his election campaign, sources said.

The appointment, should it be confirmed, is part of his reconciliatory efforts to make his campaign machine a “melting pot” free from factional division. Chung, a former unification minister, is expected to take a role related to inter-Korean issues in the campaign team.

To solicit policy proposals, Moon is to hold online and offline town hall meetings with citizens on Monday. The meeting to be broadcast live on some Internet channels is to be attended by some 40 “citizen mentors” to put forward their opinions.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)