Parties court public opinion ahead of Chuseok holiday

Kim Min-seok vows party-wide policy competition; Jang Dong-hyeok, Jeong Jeom-sik opt for volunteer work over holiday greetings

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok smiles during a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

With the Chuseok holiday approaching, leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties launched full-scale efforts to win over public sentiment — a period widely seen as a key barometer of approval ratings. The Democratic Party of Korea leadership took to the streets to meet returning holiday travelers, while the People Power Party chose community service and other grassroots activities to expand its public outreach, even as it kept up its offensive against the government and ruling party.

Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok visited Garak Market in Songpa-gu, Seoul, at around 5 a.m. Wednesday to meet vendors and assess prices and economic conditions. On Tuesday, he had visited Moraenae Market in Namdong-gu, Incheon, to hear from merchants there. Also Wednesday morning, Kim and floor leader Han Byung-do, along with other party leaders, visited Yongsan Station to greet travelers heading home for the holiday.

The Democratic Party has been buffeted by a string of setbacks ahead of Chuseok, including a drop in President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating and controversy over second-term Cabinet appointments. The turmoil has shown little sign of abating, with Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik submitting his resignation and a separate dispute over the future of First Deputy Chief of Staff Kim Hyun-ji continuing to dog the ruling camp.

At a supreme council meeting Wednesday, Kim said he was relieved that Chuseok prices were relatively stable, with some items falling, but pledged not to overlook concerns about specific goods and broader worries about the overall economic climate. He added that after the Chuseok holiday, the party would launch a party-wide policy competition to select and reward the best legislative work protecting people's livelihoods each month.

Kim appears to be using the Chuseok holiday as a turning point to reverse the party's fortunes. Voices within the party have called for the government to regain policy momentum through additional appointments and livelihood-focused activities after the break.

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok (center) attends a public rally denouncing the Lee Jae Myung administration's policy failures on the steps outside the main building of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on Tuesday. [Lim Se-jun]

The People Power Party leadership set aside the customary holiday greetings to returning travelers in favor of community service and closer engagement with the public. Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok visited a Christian youth center in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, with policy committee chairwoman Lim Yi-ja and secretary-general Jeong Hee-yong, where they assembled care packages and made songpyeon rice cakes for at-risk youth. Floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik visited a welfare center for residents of low-income housing in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, to hear about their difficulties.

The PPP plans to continue expanding its grassroots presence after the holiday, with Jang scheduled to visit military units. At the same time, the party has filed rally permits at multiple locations across Seoul for outdoor demonstrations every Saturday starting in early October, keeping open the possibility of street protests.

A party leadership official said preparations were in place to act at any time if public sentiment is found to have worsened after Chuseok.

The party has also been sharpening its attacks on the government and ruling party. In a Facebook post Wednesday, Jang said every policy of the current administration had failed and that it had lost support from both the left and the right. "The gift the public most wants this Chuseok is the impeachment of Lee Jae Myung," he said. "The best banchan — side dish — on the nation's Chuseok table is the resumption of Lee Jae Myung's trial."

mp1256@heraldcorp.com