"It's Really Stressful Because of the Noise... Candidates Who Greet Quietly Are Better" Contrasting Voter Sentiments [Reportage]

Cheongju, the Barometer of Public Sentiment in Chungcheong

Calm Atmosphere Near SK hynix

Backlash Against People Power Party's Defense of Starbucks

Transportation Emerges as Top Issue for Residents

"I was shocked when I saw Starbucks' 'Tank Day' marketing. I was even more appalled that the People Power Party defended it. I will vote for candidate number one."

On the morning of the 26th, at a budget coffee franchise in Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, a woman in her 30s, identified as Ms. A, quietly gazed at the banners for the 9th Nationwide Local Elections on June 3 hanging at the intersection outside the store before speaking. Ms. A, who said she had come to the shop after sending her two young children to a nearby elementary school, commented, "Regardless of political leanings, this is a matter of common sense." Another woman in her 30s, Ms. B, who was with her, added, "I've sometimes seen young people in their 20s deliberately waving Starbucks cups around on the street. It looked like they were just being stubborn, and it didn't seem very appealing to me."

On the morning of the 26th, parents seeing off their children to elementary school were looking at an intersection with candidate banners for the June 3 local elections hanging in the apartment complex in Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk. Cheongju=Photo by Moon Hyewon

The area around the SK hynix factory in Heungdeok-gu is considered one of the higher-income neighborhoods in Cheongju. While the area was previously home to many professionals such as doctors and lawyers, there has recently been a large influx of SK hynix employees.

On this day, the atmosphere of the election campaign in the Heungdeok-gu area was calm. A campaign worker quietly holding a sign and waving alone on the street said, "If you make a lot of noise like in the past, complaints come in immediately."

A man in his 30s, whom we met in an apartment complex, said, "If a campaign vehicle comes by while I’m trying to put my child to sleep, it’s really stressful. Candidates who just greet people quietly are more memorable."

On the 26th, a campaign vehicle for Kim Younghwan, candidate for Governor of Chungbuk Province, was parked on the road in front of Yukgeori General Market in Sangdang-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk Province, broadcasting election advertisements. Cheongju – Photo by Moon Hyewon

In contrast, the atmosphere near Yukgeori General Market in Sangdang-gu, the old downtown area of Cheongju, was quite different. At the entrance to the market, the campaign broadcast from the van of Kim Younghwan, candidate number two from the People Power Party for Chungbuk Governor, was blaring.

The owner of a supermarket inside the market said, "There are a lot of older merchants and customers around here, so people still think that turning up the volume on campaign broadcasts is the best way to promote."

On the 26th, at the entrance of Yukgeori General Market in Sangdang-gu, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Kim Younghwan, candidate for governor of North Chungcheong Province, had his campaign vehicle display a promotional video of the candidate on a large monitor screen. Cheongju – Photo by Moon Hyewon

An elderly vegetable vendor in her 80s, working near the market entrance, lamented, "Because of the noise from the campaign vehicle, it's hard to communicate with customers, so we end up using hand gestures and body language to explain the prices." A taxi driver in his 70s, surnamed Lee, who has been driving in Cheongju for 20 years, shared, "It may seem quiet on the surface, but there are actually quite a lot of people in Cheongju who support candidate number one, even if they don't show it openly."

In the bustling area in front of Chungbuk National University, which has a large population of university students and young people in their 20s and 30s, the campaign activities of People Power Party and Reform Party candidates were the most noticeable. A campaign worker for a People Power Party candidate continuously shouted, "Please vote for us just once!"

On the afternoon of the 26th, around lunchtime, workers who finished their lunch near the SK hynix factory in Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, are crossing an intersection with local election candidate banners for the June 3rd election. Cheongju - Photo by Moon Hyewon

The biggest concern among Cheongju citizens in this election is 'transportation.' On this weekday afternoon, the interval between city buses heading from the famous Yukgeori General Market to Cheongju Express Bus Terminal had stretched to as long as 40 minutes.

Mr. Han, a restaurant owner in his 40s operating near the Cheongju Intercity Bus Terminal, remarked, "If there were a politician who could resolve everyday inconveniences like traffic congestion quickly and concretely, a lot of people would support them."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.