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The controversy concerning Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young's disrespectful statements about old people refuses to die down, with the Korean Association for the Elderly (Korean: Daehan No-in-hoe) calling for Chung's official resignation and political retirement and the chairman receiving harsh criticism from locals along the campaign trail.
The Korean Association for the Elderly called on Chung to resign his positions and retire from politics for saying people in their 60s and 70s need not vote and may rest at home.
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Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young asks for the support of people waiting to enter the opening match of the Korean pro-baseball league in Daegu, Sunday.
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Meanwhile, while Jeong was visiting the Gupo Market in Busan, elderly shopkeepers harangued the party chairman, asking, "How could you have said such a thing?" Afterwards, he cancelled his schedule due to anticipated demonstrations by old people.
As negative public reaction to Chung's comments grows, politicians are watching to see if this will alter the Uri Party's expected dominance in the April 15 general election.
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Elderly people protest the disparaging statements made by Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young concerning older voters at Gwangju Station, Sunday.
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Uri Party standing committee member Kim Jeong-gil, who is running for election from Busan's Yeongdo district, said, "The controversy isn't dying down. Candidates are finding that public opinion is not good and the situation is serious." Lee Yeong-tak, who is running from Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, issued a statement in which he said, "Chung must take responsibility for his remarks and resign."
Central party officials said, "The controversy surrounding Chung's remarks hit its climax this weekend and has started to die down. It will not influence the election greatly." However, in some quarters, there is concern that in some close districts, the negative influence may be great enough to decide races.
Grand National Party chairwoman Park Geun-hye instructed her party to avoid "negative campaign strategies that politically use slips of the tongue," but individuals candidates are still drawing attention to Chung's comments as they do their campaigning.
A core GNP official said the comments, when added to the "Park Keun-hye Effect" is greatly helping the party in both the Gyeongsang provinces and the Seoul area.
(Kim Hong-jin, mailer@chosun.com )
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