Rival Parties Split Campaign Roles... Maximizing Local Ties and Securing Core Supporters

Party Leaders Make 12 and 8 Visits to Chungcheong Region
Han and Song Focus on Securing Party Strongholds
Attention on Gyeongsang as Lee Myungbak and Park Geunhye Join Campaign

An analysis of the campaign routes taken by the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party during the official campaign period for the 9th Nationwide Local Elections (May 21–June 2) reveals both parties’ strategies for the election and changing trends in the race. Both parties maximized their regional influence by dividing responsibilities between their party leader and floor leader in central regions, while also consolidating their core support in their political strongholds.

Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, focused their efforts on campaign rallies in the Seoul metropolitan area, where the majority of voters are concentrated, while also making frequent visits to the Chungcheong region, including North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, and Daejeon. Notably, both leaders visited the region 12 and 8 times respectively, which is nearly as often as their trips to the capital area. In South Chungcheong, Jeong visited six times and Jang four times—making it the most visited region nationwide by both leaders.

Both Jeong and Jang have personal ties to Geumsan and Boryeong in South Chungcheong, respectively. Since this area is considered a swing region, they focused on appealing to undecided voters to secure victory. A Democratic Party official stated, "The Chungcheong region is a battleground, and with both party leaders hailing from there, leadership paid particular attention for several reasons." In Jang’s case, his focus on the Chungcheong region also served to revitalize his political standing.

Han Byungdo, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Song Eonseok, floor leader of the People Power Party, focused on consolidating their party’s traditional bases. After the party’s decision to expel him, Han visited North Jeolla seven times until the last day of the campaign, as the race for governor between independent candidate Kim Kwanyoung and his own party’s candidate Lee Wontak was neck and neck. With his hometown Iksan located in the region and considering the conflict between Jeong and Kim, Han worked to reduce risks by personally managing the area.

As for Song, he visited Daegu four times, including on the final day of the official campaign period. With former Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom entering the race as the Democratic Party’s mayoral candidate for Daegu, and with the local support base wavering, Song pushed for conservative unity until the end. In addition, he visited Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang—regions not visited by leader Jang—during the campaign period to bolster party momentum.

The involvement of former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak is also noteworthy. Toward the end of the campaign, Lee visited Busan, while Park visited Daegu and South Gyeongsang to rally voter support. A People Power Party official explained, "Their participation helped promote conservative unity and consolidation." Meanwhile, the Democratic Party’s "Ottuk" and "Golmokgolmok" campaign teams focused on appealing to voters in areas not visited by party leaders.

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