Chung Dong-young Campaigns in Daejeon

United National Democratic Party presidential candidate Chung Dong-young held a launch ceremony for the Daejeon-Chungcheong election committee yesterday in Daejeon in an effort to win the hearts and minds of the residents in the region.

Chung said, “There are two people. Both are from Chungcheong area, share the same family name ‘Lee,’ and have similar names. But their paths of life greatly differed. One has followed the right path with conviction and consistency, while the other betrayed his beliefs and principles and committed irregularities.” That was praise for Lee Hae-chan, a joint chief of the election committee who was present at the ceremony, and criticism for former Grand National Party Chairman Lee Hoi-chang.

UNDP candidate Chung went onto say, “Chungcheong has always supported a future different from the past. And the result was the past decade. Let us open a new era for a new decade once again,” adding, “I’ll make the administrative city the de facto administrative capital.”

He also held a meeting with regional chapter leaders of owner-driver taxi associations in Daejeon that day and told them, “I’ll upgrade the status of taxis to public transportation and create an era of taxi driver happiness.” When a participant said, “You’re just spouting rhetoric. Last year, the ruling party promised to exempt us from a special excise tax but reneged when the National Assembly deliberated on the bill,” Chung rebuked him, saying, “Please get your facts straight before you talk,” which led to a brief heated exchange.

cij1999@donga.com