Justice Party presidential candidate Shim Sang-jung attends a debate inviting presidential election candidates hosted by the Korean Public Administration Association held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 20th. Parliamentary photojournalists
Justice Party presidential candidate Shim Sang-jung returned to the race for the first time in the past week, saying, “I will reflect and stand up properly” and focused on issues of gender, labor and climate crisis. It is evaluated as a figure that emphasizes a clear position on the progressive agenda and expresses ‘sympathy’. Nevertheless, the approval rating has stagnated at less than 5%, raising expectations for the progressive ‘breaking taboo’ move and TV debate in the future.
Candidate Shim announced that the official schedule, which had been suspended for four days starting on the 13th, resumed on the 17th and that “the values and principles will be set more clearly.” Accordingly, it is evaluated that the actions for one week until the 23rd are focused on the agenda of the progressive camp, such as gender, labor, and the climate crisis.
Candidate Shim’s activities stood out in the gender realm. On the 21st, he met Kim Ji-eun, a victim of sexual violence in former Chungnam governor Ahn Hee-jung, privately, and said, “It is a matter that has already been judged legally, but as a result, an incident of grieving painful wounds has occurred.” He criticized the Democratic Party of Korea and the people’s power, which had been in a fight over the disparaging remarks of #MeToo in the transcript of Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate’s spouse Kim Kun-hee. Candidate Shim was nominated for MBC on the 20th. <100분 토론> Appearing on the show, he said, “The Justice Party is a feminist party where all citizens, including women, men, and sexual minorities, are respected.”
Candidate Shim, who visited the platform of Guui Station in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul as the first schedule after returning to commemorate Kim Gun, a screen door repair worker who died six years ago, also emphasized his labor identity. In a meeting with Chairman Chey Tae-won of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the 19th, he emphasized, “It is time to cast off the stigma of the industrial disaster kingdom.” . It was differentiated from the pro-business activities of Democratic presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Seok-yeol, who emphasized the easing of various regulations.
In addition, Candidate Shim visited the Green Party with the German ambassador to Korea on the 18th to highlight the climate crisis agenda. On the 19th, the health and medical union debate and on the 22nd, through a medical YouTube broadcast, they presented health care promises such as ‘a total of 1 million won for hospital expenses’. Under the influence of this progressive agenda-centered move, on the 21st, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon announced that he would be reinstated after two years of leaving the party.
Nevertheless, the approval rating is stagnant to the extent that Candidate Shim said, “I’m busier because the approval rating hasn’t gone up” (on YouTube on the 22nd). It was the same as last week, recording 3% in both the National Indicators Survey (last 17-19 days) and Gallup Korea Survey (last 18-20 days). In the survey by the Korea Social Opinion Research Institute announced on the same day (from the 21st to the 22nd), it was 2.4%, down 1.2 percentage points from the previous week (see the website of the National Election Opinion Survey Deliberation Committee for details). There are mixed evaluations within the party, saying, “All actions for a week have not been reflected in the opinion polls” and “they have not yet shown a full-fledged change.”
The Justice Party is expecting a rebound in approval ratings through a progressive agenda-centered move and discussion of ‘breaking the progressive taboo’. From the 24th, Candidate Shim will meet the socially vulnerable one after another through the livelihood field trip named ‘Erased People’. Candidate Shim’s declaration of “drastic innovation of outdated progressives” and hinted at discussions include extension of the retirement age, pension reform, and special employment of workers’ children in some companies. Children’s special loan has been criticized as an ’employment hereditary’ in line with the issue of fairness in their 20s and 30s. A Justice Party official said in a phone call, “We need to acknowledge that it is a kind of preferential treatment.”
Expectations for the TV debate are high. An official from Shim’s side said on the phone, “If a full-scale TV debate takes place, the true nature of the Justice Party and Shim Sang-jung will be shown again.” Accordingly, the Justice Party will wage an all-out war to thwart the bilateral TV debate between candidates Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Seok-yeol, which is being discussed for holding the Lunar New Year holiday. Candidate Shim is said to be considering directly participating in the interrogation of the court’s request for an injunction to ban the broadcast of a bilateral TV debate scheduled for the 25th.
