As early voting begins, the leaders of both major parties are ramping up efforts for victory in the June 3 local elections. However, internal dissent is surfacing within their parties.
On May 30, political sources reported that Jeong Cheong-rae, the leader of the Democratic Party, is struggling in the Jeollabuk-do region, where there have been signs of avoidance of Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the People Power Party.
The Democratic Party is facing concerns about potentially losing the Jeollabuk-do governorship, a traditional stronghold, due to the rise of independent candidate Kim Kwan-young, who has declared his candidacy in defiance of the party's primary results.
Local sentiment in Jeollabuk-do has led regional committee leaders to request Jeong to refrain from campaigning in the area, stating, "Please stop coming here."
Song Tae-kyu, the Democratic Party's Iksan City committee chair, expressed on Facebook on May 29, "We appreciate the efforts you are making across the country, and we feel your genuine affection for Jeollabuk-do. However, it is time for you to stop coming. Please focus your efforts on other regions and let go of your concerns for Jeollabuk-do."
He added, "Jeollabuk-do is not a region that will always wait patiently. Central politics must remember that it is not a quiet place without a voice."
Previously, Jeong had posted about five times on Facebook by May 28, urging support for candidate Lee Won-taek. On the same day, he appeared on Kim Eo-jun's News Factory, apologizing for not understanding the sentiments of Jeollabuk-do residents and demonstrating efforts to secure the region.
Jang is also facing challenges as some candidates from the People Power Party are distancing themselves from him due to concerns about losing moderate voters.
Oh Se-hoon, the candidate for Seoul mayor, has kept his distance from Jang since the early stages of the campaign. On May 26, during an appearance on BBS Radio's "Kim Tae-seop's Morning Journal," he stated regarding Jang, "There probably won't be any invitations in the metropolitan area. There is no reason for him to rush to support the election in Seoul."
Daejeon's mayoral candidate Lee Jang-woo also did not appear alongside Jang during his campaign activities in Daejeon on May 28, raising suspicions of a "Jang avoidance" phenomenon.
Dissatisfaction within the party has surged since Jang was appointed as the head of the election campaign committee on May 13. Woo Jae-jun, a prominent member of the pro-Han (pro-Han Dong-hoon) faction, called for Jang to step back from the front lines and did not attend the launch ceremony, insisting that Jang should withdraw from active campaigning.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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