민주 '9곳' 한국 '6곳' 목표... 여야, 격전지 강행군

The first local elections under the Moon Jae-in administration will be held in just 9 days from now.
The race for mayor or governor jobs is mainly seen as a competition between the two biggest parties.
Kim Min-ji highlights what's at stake for the rival parties, pushing themselves hard to woo more voters. The race is on for the leadership of 17 of South Korea's metropolitan cities or provinces.
In the last local elections back in 2014,... the New Politics Alliance for Democracy -- the current ruling Democratic Party of Korea,... had 9 mayors or governors elected,... while the Saenuri Party -- now, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party secured 8.
This time around, the local elections will be seen as barometer of public sentiment about the Moon Jae-in administration,... given that its the first nationwide election since he took office in May last year.
The ruling party is trying to add to the nine they have already,... while the main opposition is out to secure at least six posts.

"The most keenly watched areas for this year's local elections are traditional conservative strongholds, like here in Gyeongsangnam-do Province. These are the races to watch as the ruling party is riding the wave of the Moon Jae-in administration’s high approval rating and there are serious questions about whether the main opposition will be able to survive the onslaught."

In fact, southern regions held by the conservatives have been a focal point of the ruling party's campaign -- with the party's leadership using most of their time so far... supporting their candidates there.
With the exception of two regions leaning towards the conservative party,... some polls show liberal candidates are in the lead.
The ruling party has been calling for support from the people to get the policies of the Moon Jae-in government rolling in the conservative-held areas.

"If you pick candidates from the main opposition, it's a vote that allows and shows support for corruption. It won't be of any help to the public."

At the same time, the main opposition party is making the case that they know best how to deal with the affairs of the region.
The leadership of the conservative party has also been out on the streets nationwide,... calling on people not to be blinded by polls -- claiming they are innaccurate.
The party says that the current government is focusing only on developments regarding North Korea... while the country's economy is in the doldrums.

"Nothing is being done right here in our country, while the president doing nothing but work on Kim Jong-un. He is not thinking of reviving our economy, but focusing on boosting North Korea's economy."

As it stands now,... most experts say the environment is looking favorable for the ruling party.

"The main opposition party hasn't been able to build enough trust in their party, given its relation to the impeachment of a former president. And although it has been pushing fo