Magical Predictions and Grumbling Politicians: The 2021 Seoul Mayoral By-election
The Seoul mayoral by-election held on April 7, 2021, was steeped in suspense, drama, and just a hint of political wizardry. Picture this: Kim Jong-in, then the chairman of the People Power Party’s emergency response committee—let’s call him “The Political Oracle”—embarking on a campaign adventure in a car at Daechi Station, Seoul. Now, if that isn’t a scene for a political thriller, I don’t know what is!
At the heart of it all was the newly enforced ban on public opinion polls. Just imagine the reporters, their notepads drenched in sweat, focusing on every word of Emergency Chairman Kim. Pressure? What pressure? It’s not like his predictions had the weight of the future resting on them, right?
“The larger the gap in approval ratings, the better, but I think it will be a double-digit gap,” declared Kim, full of confidence—as if he were about to reveal the secret to eternal youth.
Fast forward 24 hours, and we witnessed a landslide victory for candidate Oh Se-hoon! He trounced Democratic Party candidate Park Young-sun, leaving a staggering 18.3% gap in the approval ratings. Talk about a dramatic turn of events! It’s a political miracle that could inspire a Broadway musical—just imagine the jazz hands!
The ‘Kim Jong-in Magic’ Explained
Enter Mr. Myung Tae-gyun, the man who claims he orchestrated this grand prediction. You know the type—a real-life wizard behind the curtain, pulling strings and whispering sweet nothings into the ears of influential politicians. “I did ‘Kim Jong-in Magic,’” he boasts, which sounds a bit like a magician’s trick gone wrong, unless you’re a fan of political sleight-of-hand!
What’s the secret sauce, you ask? Mr. Myung revealed that he conducted numerous public opinion polls of his own and shared market insights with Kim Jong-in, ultimately predicting 19% victory margins like a psychic at a carnival. If I had a wonky magic eight ball, I’d be giving it a run for its money!
“The politicians don’t study and only incite the people,” he lamented. “There is no one in Korea who sets the plan.” Sounds like a recipe for a political reality TV show!
But wait, there’s more! Myung’s not too fond of the same politicians he helped venture forth. He describes them as “hungry” yet perpetually unsatisfied diners poking around at their gourmet meals. Mayor Oh and his crew… apparently need a bit of culinary advice. He likens his political help to running a restaurant, providing free meals to those who have been starving for a decade. Existential food for thought, eh?
The Dish That Dares to Disappoint
And here’s the punchline—or shall we say, the main course? If Mr. Myung had a penny for every grumble he hears from these political patrons, he could probably buy himself a Michelin star. “If you paid me for the food, you’d have no right to complain,” he quipped, laying bare the truth in a way that only someone who’s fed the political elite (for free!) could.
That’s right, folks! It’s one thing to be a generous chef; it’s another to have your sous-chefs throwing tantrums about the seasoning. Mr. Myung might just need a pinch of salt and a splash of gratitude from the very politicians he’s supported.
A Final Note on Political Puppetry
At the end of the day, Mr. Myeong presents himself as both the humble servant and the omitted hero in Korea’s political saga. He may not find politics interesting, but he’s obviously got the recipe for intrigue, drama, and a dash of comedy. Let’s hope the next serving of political spectacle comes without the sour grapes—and perhaps with a few extra side dishes of decorum.
If anything, this latest episode left us with plenty to chew on, and a spectacular invitation to keep watching the drama unfold. Who knew politics could be this deliciously entertaining?
One day before the April 7, 2021, Seoul mayoral by-election, Kim Jong-in, then chairman of the People Power Party’s emergency response committee, boarded a campaign car at Daechi Station in Seoul.
At that time, there was a ban on public opinion polls, and the reporters’ attention was focused on the analysis of the situation of emergency committee chairman Kim Kim.
Emergency Party Chairman Kim said, “The larger the gap in approval ratings, the better, but I think it will be a double-digit gap,” and added, “I can tell you for sure that candidate Oh Se-hoon will win.”
The next day, the ballot boxes were opened, and Candidate Oh won a landslide victory over Democratic Party candidate Park Young-sun by an 18.3% point margin.
Myung Tae-gyun recalled this period to MBC reporters as follows.
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[명태균 씨]
“I did ‘Kim Jong-in Magic.’ Kim Jong-in came out and guessed the numbers, saying, ‘If there are more Oh Se-hoon, we will win by 19% points.’ How did they get it right? Chairman Kim Jong-in called me at 6 a.m. Five or six times a day is the norm.”
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The explanation is that Mr. Myeong conducted a number of public opinion polls as well as his own surveys to refer to candidate strategies, and this survey was passed on to Kim Jong-in, chairman of the emergency committee at the time, and the predictions were also correct.
Mr. Myeong listed the names of people who did business with him, claiming that there were more than 30 people.
He said, “Kim Jong-in, Lee Jun-seok, Oh Se-hoon, Hong Jun-pyo, Yoon Seok-yeol, and about 25 more members of the National Assembly,” and that these were “influential politicians whose names you would recognize.”
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[명태균 씨]
“I met all those people, but the politicians don’t study and only incite the people. There is no one in Korea who sets the plan. I also planned the decision that Chairman Kim Jong-in suddenly made. Could it have happened overnight?”
However, Mr. Myeong said that he “doesn’t find politics interesting.” “I did everything for them like a shadow, but they always complain about something.”
Mr. Myeong previously wrote on Facebook to Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Daegu Metropolitan City Mayor Hong Jun-pyo, “Are you really confident? Stop, don’t be embarrassed,” adding, “I have not received any money from them, so I can keep the facts as they are and speak as I please.” “It can be done,” he explained.
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[명태균 씨]
“Let’s say I run a restaurant. People come to me because they are hungry. Mayor Oh Se-hoon has been hungry for 10 years. Representative Lee Jun-seok entered politics and has done nothing for 10 years, only serving as a member of the Supreme Youth Council. So I helped him. (To use an analogy) We sent him a free meal at our restaurant.”
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Mr. Myeong, who continued to complain, left these words to influential figures who he said helped him.
“If you paid me money to eat it, you have nothing to say even if you complain about the taste of the food. But I fed a hungry person for free, and now they say, ‘The food doesn’t taste good and the side dishes are bad.’ That’s why I’m asking if I’m confident. Do you understand?”
Reporter Son Ha-neul ([email protected])
Reporter Kim Jeong-woo ([email protected])
