Presidential aspirants running in the May 9 election braced for battle Sunday, as they stood at the starting line of the shortened campaign period which is to last for 22 days starting Monday.

Reflecting division in the conventional political clusters -- following the ouster of conservative President Park Geun-hye and the resulting feuds -- a record-high 13 candidates registered themselves over the weekend.

Official electioneering was to start Sunday at midnight, but most candidates effectively set forth their respective campaigns by commenting on ongoing issues such as Sewol and North Korea’s attempted missile launch earlier in the day.

Moon Jae-in (left), and Ahn Cheol-soo (Yonhap)
Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea highlighted the Sewol ferry sinking, which marked its third anniversary Sunday.

“Moon will make sure that nobody dies because of the incompetence and irresponsibility of the government, as was the case of the Sewol tragedy,” Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo, chief spokesperson of Moon’s camp, said in a written statement.

“For this, he will build a presidential disaster control tower so as to prevent miscommunication among government departments in crisis situations.”

The liberal candidate also presented public transportation policies, vowing to gradually eliminate highway fares and promote a prepaid card system, as part of his upcoming campaign pledges.

Moon’s main rival Ahn Cheol-soo, of the People’s Party, too, placed focus on the people’s safety in reference to the Sewol incident.

As his first public appearance marking the start of the presidential campaign period, Ahn was set to visit the Vessel Traffic Services Center at Incheon Port at midnight on Sunday, according to camp officials.

He attended a Sewol remembrance ceremony held at Ansan on Sunday afternoon, along with Moon and other presidential candidates.

(Yonhap)
“(The visit) reflects Ahn’s determination to create a safe Korea, with no more Sewol tragedies,” said campaign spokesperson Kim Chul-keun.

Ahn, who resigned from his National Assembly seat upon registering as a presidential candidate Saturday, spent time meeting with residents of his former constituency in Seoul’s Nowon-gu before heading for Ansan.

Yoo Seong-min of the conservative Bareun Party and Sim Sang-jeung of the progressive Justice Party also paid their respects to the Sewol victims. Hard-line conservative Hong Joon-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party remained the odd one out concerning the maritime tragedy.

“(Liberal politicians) have been repeating the Sewol repertoire for a whole three years, enough is enough,” Hong said at a press conference to present his visions on reforming the nation.

“I believe that the issue should no longer be used for political interests, which is why I decided not to attend (the memorial ceremony like other candidates).”

By speaking for those who resent the Sewol grievance, Hong was seeking to bring together the much-divided conservative voter pool and bring the public spotlight back to national security issues by referring to North Korea’s thwarted missile launch.

“The North’s nuclear tests and missile developments are attributable to the Sunshine Policy carried out by the (liberal) Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun administrations,” said party spokesperson Rep. Kim Myung-yeon, added that both Moon and Ahn are likely to follow such precedents.

With the continued struggles of the minority figures, the presidential race appears to be further narrowing to a two-way rivalry between Moon and Ahn.

According to a survey released by local pollster Gallup Korea on Friday, Moon garnered 40 percent of support in the second week of April, followed by Ahn’s 37 percent.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)