GNP Joint Campaign Tour Postponed

The Grand National Party (GNP) decided to temporarily suspend its joint campaign tour, which began in Jeju on Sunday, as it showed signs of overheating. Rallies were originally scheduled to be held in 12 major cities in Korea, including one in Gwangju on Tuesday.

“As seen in the Jeju rally, the election committee agreed that competition between the camps has become too fierce,” Choi Gu-sik, the spokesman of the GNP Primary Race Committee, said on Monday at a general meeting.

The supporters of former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak and former Party Chairwoman Park Geun-hye engaged in violent physical scuffles to secure seats, and some shouted jeers at Lee when he delivered a speech during the Jeju rally.

“We will have the candidates’ camps submit a statement pledging to make efforts to prevent a disturbance or a mishap at the rally,” Choi added. “You can say it’s postponed at the moment. I hope the problem will be resolved in a day or two.”

He added, “Many veteran campaigners were mobilized at the Jeju rally. We also found that some supporters outside the venue sneaked into the hall using tickets given to those who had already entered. We’ll also ban bringing all belongings, including banners and sticks, in the venue.”

taylor55@donga.com