Parties Make Last-Ditch Appeals Ahead of Local Elections

The ruling and opposition parties made last-ditch appeals for support Tuesday, the eve of nationwide local elections, a vote widely seen as a test of public sentiment toward President Lee Jae Myung's first year in office.

Up for grabs in the June 3 elections are 16 mayoral and gubernatorial posts, along with 227 heads of local governments and some 4,000 members of local councils.

This year's elections carry added significance as 14 National Assembly seats are also at stake in parliamentary by-elections, to be held alongside the local elections, with several political heavyweights running in the races.

Surveys conducted before a blackout period of election-related polls last week pointed to a tighter-than-expected race between candidates from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and their rivals from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

Wrapping up the 13-day campaign period, the DP appealed for support in regions ranging from the traditional conservative stronghold of Gangwon Province to the liberal party's turf of the Jeolla provinces.

DP leader Jung Chung-rae was set to visit a traditional market in Gangwon Province before rallying for support in Gyeonggi Province and finishing off the campaign at Cheonggye Plaza in the center of the capital.

"Complete the success of the Lee Jae Myung government with your vote," DP floor leader Han Byung-do said during a party meeting at the National Assembly before heading to North Jeolla Province.

Rep. Han urged voters to make a stern judgment on "incompetent and irresponsible local governments that came to power on the back of (former President) Yoon Suk Yeol four years ago and devastated the local communities."

The PPP, too, was making last-minute efforts to sway voters in South Chungcheong and South Gyeongsang provinces, saying it needs to keep the government in check.

"If the local governments are taken over by the ruling party, (President) Lee Jae Myung's arrogance will cross the final red line and South Korea will become a country for Lee alone," PPP leader Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok said at the party's headquarters in Seoul.

Jang later campaigned in South Chungcheong, warning that voters will end up regretting it if PPP candidates lose in the elections because disappointed conservatives choose not to cast their ballots. He was scheduled to wrap up the campaign in Seoul.