A bedridden opposition leader Lee Jae-myung appealed Thursday for support for his party's candidate in next week's by-election for chief of Seoul's Gangseo Ward office, saying the election is the starting point of stopping what he calls the "tyranny" of the government.
The Democratic Party (DP) chairman issued the appeal in a video message from a hospital bed where he has been recovering after a 24-day anti-government hunger strike, six days before the Oct. 11 by-election seen as a test of voter sentiment ahead of next year's parliamentary elections.
"Politics may seem like something politicians do, but ultimately, it's something that people do. Every single vote that you exercise can determine the future of your country and your region," said Lee, dressed in patient clothing.
"This election is the starting point of stopping the regime's tyranny and opening a new future for Gangseo Ward," he said. "I hope each and everyone participates in the grand march of people's victory and advancement of history."
Lee called for more people to vote in early voting set for Friday and Saturday.
The leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) promoted Kim as a candidate who can use a hotline to President Yoon Suk Yeol to push ahead with various development projects in the region.
"The Gangseo Ward office chief by-election is about picking someone who can do their job well, a servant who is willing to run the people's errands ... not an avatar who will run errands for the opposition leader," Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon said in a party leadership meeting.
The by-election comes after former Gangseo Ward chief Kim Tae-woo was removed from the post in May due to a suspended prison sentence. He was convicted of leaking official secrets he gained while working for a special inspection team under the presidential office during the previous administration.
Kim, however, calls himself a whistle blower and claims the disclosure was for the public good. He received a presidential Liberation Day pardon in August, was reinstated of his right to run in the election and won the nomination of the ruling PPP.
Kim's DP rival is Jin Kyo-hoon, a former deputy chief of national police.
Though seven candidates are vying in the election, it is largely a two-way race between Kim and Jin.
Source: Yonhap News Agency