Oh, Han victories prompt broadcaster Kim Eo-jun to lament revival of conservative presidential hopefuls

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun expressed disappointment over the results of the June 3 local elections and National Assembly by-elections. He lamented that victories by People Power Party Seoul Mayor-elect Oh Se-hoon and independent Busan Buk-gap by-election winner Han Dong-hoon had revived the conservative camp's pool of potential presidential contenders, while Democratic Party of Korea South Gyeongsang Governor candidate Kim Gyeong-su and Rebuilding Korea Party Pyeongtaek-eul candidate Cho Guk both lost their races.

Kim was broadcasting live on his YouTube channel "Kim Eo-jun's Humility Is Hard News Factory" on Thursday morning, covering the Seoul mayoral vote count, when he learned that Oh had pulled ahead of Democratic Party candidate Jeong Won-o.

"Seoul has flipped again," Kim said. "This means the conservative camp gets two presidential candidates back — Han Dong-hoon and Oh Se-hoon. On our side, presidential-caliber figures like Kim Gyeong-su and Cho Guk are going down in defeat."

Oh held off Jeong in a race that remained tight until the final ballots were counted, securing a fifth term as Seoul mayor — the first person in history to win the post five times. The victory cemented his standing as a leading conservative presidential contender. Han also won a seat in the National Assembly, defeating Democratic Party candidate Ha Jung-woo in the Busan Buk-gap by-election.

Figures seen as potential presidential candidates from the broader pro-government camp suffered setbacks. Kim Gyeong-su lost the South Gyeongsang gubernatorial race to People Power Party candidate Park Wan-su, failing to reclaim the province for the opposition. Cho Guk also fell short in the Pyeongtaek-eul by-election, losing to People Power Party candidate Yoo Eui-dong.

Kim singled out the Pyeongtaek-eul result, arguing that "if the Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party had merged, a race like Pyeongtaek-eul would never have happened."

He also criticized the Democratic Party's internal dynamics, saying the party had been hampered by "an invisible power struggle over the future leadership" and had therefore "not fought this election at full strength."

Kim acknowledged that "in terms of seat count, it is a major victory for the liberal and progressive camp," but added that the result felt like a loss because "our benchmark is the landslide of the 2018 local elections."

‘삼전닉스’ 쉼없이 팔더니, ‘뉴 깐부’ 종목 폭풍 매수…외국인 투자 종목 살펴보니 [투자360]

https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10763384