Anchor: The ruling and the main opposition parties are making last-ditch efforts to win more voter support before the general elections on April 15. While the ruling camp is highlighting the need to ensure administrative stability amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the main opposition is urging citizens to pass judgment on the incumbent government.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: With only two days left until Election Day, the ruling Democratic Party(DP) is seeking voter support, emphasizing the need to enable the Moon Jae-in administration and National Assembly to continue ongoing efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout.

At a meeting with party officials on Monday, DP Chair Lee Hae-chan pointed out that the number of parliamentary seats the DP secures from around 70 contested districts in Seoul and the surrounding areas will ultimately determine the outcome of the April 15 general elections.

Highlighting that the next two days will be crucial, Lee said those who appeal to voters until the last minute will win the race.

Lee specifically mentioned the battleground constituencies of Yongsan, Jung and Gwangjin in Seoul, and the Bundang and Yongin districts in Gyeonggi Province, where he's been rallying support for the DP and its satellite Together Citizens' Party.

His remarks come in apparent response to optimism surrounding the ruling camp, including liberal political commentator Rhyu Si-min's recent projection of 180 seats for the DP.

The main opposition United Future Party(UFP), for its part, asked voters to back the UFP and its satellite Future Korea Party to prevent the ruling side from monopolizing parliament and threatening democracy.

At a meeting with reporters on Monday, Park Hyeong-jun, co-chair of the party's election committee, warned the UFP could lose parliamentary seats and drop below the minimum 100 required to block attempts to revise the Constitution.

The warning came after Cha Myung-jin, the UFP candidate for Gyeonggi Province's Bucheon-C district, stirred controversy and drew public anger with his recent remarks. During a debate, he claimed that bereaved family members of victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking engaged in promiscuous acts with a volunteer in a tent at the memorial space.

Cha continued making such controversial claims despite the UFP taking steps to recommend he defect from the party, pushing the leadership to expel him and strip him of his candidacy.

The minor Minsaeng Party, which filed a constitutional appeal and injunction against the ruling and main opposition's respective satellites on Monday, continues to seek voter support on the basis that it's solely focused on improving people's livelihoods.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.