'No time to sleep until June 3': Ruling, opposition candidates launch all-night campaign blitz

With the June 3 local elections and National Assembly by-elections just two days away, candidates from both parties launched an all-out final push Monday to win over undecided voters. Some have scrapped sleep altogether, billing their schedules as "sleepless campaigns" as the race enters a final test of endurance.

In the Gangwon Province gubernatorial race, People Power Party candidate Kim Jin-tae has drawn attention for his overnight campaign trail.

Kim held a press conference at Wonju City Hall on May 29, the first day of early voting, and declared he was launching a sleepless campaign. "I will meet as many residents as possible," he said. "I will pour everything I have into changing the lives of Gangwon residents."

He immediately boarded a campaign vehicle and swept through Wonju in what his team called a "dragnet canvass," then pressed on to Yeongwol and Jeongseon late into the night.

Park Min-sik, the PPP candidate in the Busan Buk-gap National Assembly by-election, went further, announcing a "100-hour sleepless campaign." Starting at 8 p.m. on May 29 and running through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday — when official campaigning ends — Park plans to campaign without rest for the full 100 hours.

"I am launching this 100-hour sleepless campaign to show how desperately I want this," Park said, previewing a schedule that would take him through traditional markets, shopping districts, transit-oriented areas, and residential and commercial neighborhoods late at night.

Yang Hyang-ja, the PPP candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor, also unveiled what she called a "non-stop overnight campaign," announcing plans to visit all 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province from Monday through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

"I plan to visit all 31 cities and counties in the time remaining and campaign without stopping," Yang said at a rally at Ilsan Lake Park in Goyang on Sunday.

Democratic Party candidates have joined the overnight push as well. Gu Ja-yeol, the Democratic Party candidate for Wonju mayor, announced a "72-hour sleepless all-out campaign" with three days left before the election.

Lee Gwang-jae, the Democratic Party candidate in the Hanam-gap National Assembly by-election, also launched a 72-hour sleepless campaign Monday. "I will pour every drop of sweat and sincerity into every alley," he said. "For 72 hours, I will not allow myself a single minute of sleep — I will run with everything I have, right beside the people of Hanam."

In the North Chungcheong Province gubernatorial race, Democratic Party candidate Shin Yong-han unveiled a "two-day sleepless traverse" of the province. Carrying a backpack, Shin plans to travel across North Chungcheong Province over two days — including the final day of early voting — stopping at communities throughout the region.

His schedule includes consecutive visits to early-morning markets, neighborhood commercial districts and industrial sites. The aim is to travel the length of North Chungcheong Province from south to north and meet residents directly.