D-1 TO MAYORAL BY-ELECTIONS

[Anchor Lead]

With only one day left until the by-elections in Seoul and Busan, South Korea's rival political parties continued their efforts to win more votes. The turnout rate at early voting was the highest ever. The Democratic Party says it's going to be a neck-to-neck race. The People Power Party says the turnout rate shows public outrage over the incumbent administration.

[Pkg]

Democratic Party candidate Park Young-sun has repeatedly called out her rival, Oh Se-hoon, for lying to the public.

[Soundbite] Park Young-sun(Seoul mayor candidate from Democratic Party) : "He only remembers what he wants to remember. He remembers what he needs, but says he knows nothing about things that can put him at a disadvantage."

Park says the nation's capital needs stable policies to overcome the pandemic, and that fighting against the government will do little good. People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon pushed back by saying young voters have turned away from the ruling party because of its incompetency and divisive policies.

[Soundbite] Oh Se-hoon(Seoul mayor candidate from PPP) : "I was astonished to hear young people say they want to give a chance to someone who is less incompetent and that they could vote for them again after observing their achievements."

Oh has vowed to collaborate with People's Power chief Ahn Cheol-soo to achieve unity.
The rival parties are stumping the city hard to sway voters. The Democratic Party says the high turnout rate in early voting shows that its supporters are finally pulling together.

[Soundbite] Lee Nak-yon(Democratic Party) : "It's going to be a tight race, counter to the results of public polls. We won't know the outcome until the last minute."

The People Power Party believes it's well on its way to victory.

[Soundbite] Kim Chong-in(PPP interim chief) : "The public knows why we are holding these by-elections. The high turnout rate shows how angry people are with the current government."

The People Power Party has expressed strong protest against the National Election Commission's ban on phrases such as "double standards" and "hypocrisy" on banners urging the public to vote. The Democratic Party has vowed to file more complaints on Oh Se-hoon's alleged land speculation and have Seoul city council conduct an administrative inspection into the matter.