Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidates are moving to win over local voters ahead of the regional primary elections in the Honam region. Honam is considered a 'stronghold' where more than 30% of the party's entire members reside.
According to the political community on the 22nd, the candidate plans to visit Jeollanam-do, Gwangju, and Jeollabuk-do consecutively on the 24th and 25th.
On the first day of the schedule, the 24th, the candidate intends to visit Saemangeum in Gimje, Jeollabuk-do, to hold a field meeting under the theme of 'healthy future energy.' Afterwards, the candidate will visit Jeonil Building in Gwangju, a historical and symbolic site of the May 18th Democratic Uprising, where a meeting will be held on the theme of 'citizens who led the democratization of the Republic of Korea.'
At this venue, the candidate plans to present a pledge to reflect the spirit of May 18th in the Constitution. Additionally, the establishment of a national AI computing center with a scale of 10 trillion won is also being considered as a pledge.
On the 25th, the candidate will visit the 'Jeollanam-do Agricultural Technology Institute' in Naju, Jeollanam-do, to hold a meeting on agricultural science and technology promotion under the theme of 'Honam as a hub for future agriculture.'
Kim Kyeong-soo, the candidate, visited Jeollabuk-do and Gwangju consecutively on that day. He met with party members and said, 'Based on the Gwangju-Jeonnam megacity plan, I will support more than 5 trillion won in autonomous budget and build a metropolitan transportation network.'
He continued, 'I will foster Honam as an AI-centric city through the establishment of AI computing infrastructure and designation as a mega sandbox,' and 'I will invest in nationally specialized research-centered universities to establish a system where local universities, research institutes, and corporations can jointly cultivate AI talent.' He also promised the establishment of a medical school, a longstanding demand in the Jeollanam-do region.
Kim Dong-yeon, another candidate, highlighted ▲the inclusion of the May 18th spirit in the Constitution and a name change ▲complete restoration of the old Jeollanam-do office ▲expansion of the metropolitan transportation network ▲enhancement of public health infrastructure ▲support for the 2036 Jeonju Summer Olympics bid. He is expected to visit Honam around the 24th.
The background of the attention that Democratic Party presidential candidates are paying to Honam lies in the belief that the choice of Honam voters can influence the fiercely contested primaries in Seoul and the metropolitan area.
If the candidate continues to achieve close to 90% approval ratings, and if similar results occur in Honam, it could solidify the 'Lee Jae-myung is the inevitable president' stance.
The Democratic Party expects that the warmer the sentiment from Honam becomes, the more it will boost the support for the Honam-born voters in Seoul and the metropolitan area, who constitute the largest number of voters.
A Democratic Party official noted, 'I believe that there will be significant interest in the Democratic Party primaries in Honam,' adding, 'Many people likely think that political apathy played a role during former President Yoon Suk-yeol's period of turmoil.'
Another Democratic Party official commented regarding the primary results, 'It’s reasonable to believe that the desire to end the turmoil will be high, so support for candidate Lee Jae-myung will be strong, similar to the regions of Yeongnam and Chungcheong,' and added, 'There won't be any surprises in the party's primaries.'