Seoul mayor candidates collide over real estate issues in TV debate
Apr 06, 2021, 09:30 am
Park Young-sun (L) of the ruling Democratic Party and Oh Se-hoon (R) of the main opposition People Power Party – candidates for the Seoul mayoralty – bump fists before a TV debate in Seoul on April 5, 2021, ahead of the April 7 by-election./ National Assembly Press Corps
AsiaToday reporter Kim Youn-ji
The ruling Democratic Party’s Park Young-sun and main opposition People Power Party’s Oh Se-hoon engaged in their final TV debate Monday ahead of the April 7 by-elections, where they clashed over Oh’s alleged land speculation and the Moon administration’s housing policies. Park criticized Oh, saying, “If a lying candidate becomes a mayor, we have nothing to teach blossoming children.” Oh criticized the Moon administration, asking Park, “The former administration raised home appraisal price by 14%, but the Moon administration raised by 72%. Is it appropriate?”
Moon Jae-in /Newsis
President Moon Jae-in s approval rating has fallen even further to a record-low 32 percent.
In a Gallup Korea poll of 1,000 people last week, 58 percent said Moon is doing a bad job, many of them in their 40s, who are considered his core support demographic.
The proportion of supporters fell another two percentage points since a week earlier, though the proportion of outright detractors also fell one percentage point. Among people in their 40s, 47 percent were dissatisfied with his performance while 43 percent were still in favor of him, compared to 49 and 48 percent a week earlier.
The proportion of people who complained about Moon s real estate polices increased from a week ago, probably as a result of revelations that key officials close to him had jacked up their jeonse or Korean-style deposit lease prices just before the government put a cap on price hikes.
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