Cho Seung-rae says Han Dong-hoon's poll numbers inflated as race tightens in Busan's Buk-gu

By Joo So-hyun, The Herald Business

Cho Seung-rae, secretary-general of the Democratic Party of Korea, said Tuesday that polls showing strong support for independent candidate Han Dong-hoon in the three-way National Assembly by-election in Busan's Buk-gu-gap district are distorted. "Recent polls have been over-sampling conservatives, which tends to push one candidate's approval rating artificially high," Cho said in an interview with CBS Radio. "What we have confirmed on the ground in Buk-gu is that there is considerable inflation in the polling numbers for that candidate."

Cho said the combined support for People Power Party candidate Park Min-sik and Han had remained relatively stable since the start of the race, even accounting for undecided voters. "What is happening is that Park's numbers have slipped and those votes are migrating to Han, bringing the contest to a tight race," he said.

He added that attention on the ground was also turning toward the Democratic Party's candidate. "At the grassroots level, I understand that interest is also gathering around our candidate Ha Jung-woo, with voters asking who will lead Buk-gu's future alongside Busan mayoral candidate Jeon Jae-soo," Cho said.

Cho also raised allegations surrounding Han's campaign operation, saying supporters had set up illegal quasi-campaign offices under the guise of volunteer activities before being caught and reported to the election commission. He cited additional controversy over suspected fake address registrations. "Many residents seem to feel that Buk-gu has become far too chaotic right now," he said.

Cho assessed the regional government head races in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, South Gyeongsang Province, Ulsan and North Jeolla Province as all competitive, but declined to make predictions. "Winning even one of them matters, so we are out working hard rather than spending time forecasting," he said.

On the record-breaking early voting turnout for these local elections, Cho said the figures reflected strong public interest in the vote. "I hope the main voting day also sees high turnout — turnout that translates into solid electoral support for President Lee Jae Myung and his work in office," he said.

On the Daegu mayoral race between Democratic Party candidate Kim Boo-kyum and People Power Party candidate Choo Kyung-ho, Cho said many Daegu residents appeared to be concluding that Kim was the more fitting choice. "Kim Boo-kyum is the candidate who will work alongside the president for the next four years, and given Daegu's current situation, I think many citizens there are making that judgment," he said. "It is still an extremely tight race, and I believe that if every citizen who supports the Democratic Party and President Lee Jae Myung turns out to vote, we will win."

Regarding former President Park Geun-hye's two campaign appearances in Daegu last month in support of People Power Party candidates, Cho was sharply critical. "This is someone who was removed from the presidency a decade ago for abuse of power and constitutional violations, and who was subsequently detained," he said. "I do not believe that the reasonable citizens who agreed with Park Geun-hye's impeachment back then will endorse those appearances."