Politicking Korean Style

Apparently there are some local elections coming up - I don't know what is meant by "local" here, but in any case it has made for some amusement on my behalf. I don't know how many candidates there are - maybe 8 or so, as they seem to have numbers attached to them.

I first saw a group of them "performing" on Saturday - as I was in a car we passed this group of people dressed in yellow shirts, with the candidate and his wife on platforms "performing" to the passing traffic. Yesterday when I was in town I managed to see more of this extra ordinary (for me) spectacle.

It appeared that someone other than the candidate (his wife perhaps?) was the speaker from the back of the vehicle which had a huge screen on one side - perhaps extolling the virtues of the candidate. There were folk in pink shirts handing out literature, and one old man, whom I suspect was the candidate's father collared me, and tried to explain that the candidate was his son. (I think that is what he was saying.)

As I passed the spot again a short time later I heard the speaker shouting - so passionate - loudly that it could be heard right throughout the park.

Later as I was walking "downtown" I saw two more groups. One group had set up at a busy intersection, with the truck with screen showing footage of something I did not understand - and a group of supporters dancing with white gloves on, in front of the truck. They saw me taking the film and waved to me. You might notice the crazy traffic at this intersection. (It is hard to make sense of the traffic lights - especially when many drivers, particularly taxi drivers, ignore all lights anyway, and pedestrians take their chances instead of waiting for the green walk sign.)