“There are many people saying they won't go because it's dirty. Who would want to stand in line in the heat just to do someone a favor? If they come out with clubs, you must have the courage to go out with a sledgehammer. How would the people think if they see such ugly sights?” (Jinju citizen Ha Hyun-ho)
On the 14th, just 20 days before the 21st presidential election, public sentiment in Gyeongnam was divided over the issues of 'apology for opposing impeachment' and 'disassociation with former President Yoon Suk-yeol.' However, there was a consensus that criticized the unprecedented 'candidate replacement incident' and the internal division of the People Power Party. Amid the observation of the martial law situation and the second presidential impeachment, voices calling for 'Gyeongnam to change' also grew louder.
◇ From the stronghold of the left to the fortress of the right... securing 13 seats in the 22nd general election amid 'regime judgment theory'
Gyeongnam was originally a stronghold of progressive forces with the 4·19 Revolution in Masan and the Busan Uprising right after liberation. However, it rapidly became conservative due to industrialization under the Park Chung-hee regime and the alliance between former President Kim Young-sam and military forces following the merger of three parties in 1990. Since the 2000s, conservative parties have secured a solid advantage in every election. Even Jinju in the west of Gyeongnam and Miryang in the inland are classified as 'People Power Party strongholds.' However, eastern Gyeongnam, including Changwon, Gimhae, Yangsan, and Geoje, has emerged as the Nakdong River belt under the influence of former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in, showing competition between progressives and conservatives.
From the 2000s, the People Power Party-affiliated parties have won at least 12 seats in each general election, and at most, they secured victories in all 16 constituencies in Gyeongnam. Even amid the adverse news coming from the presidential office for the 22nd general election, the People Power Party added one seat from the previous election, securing 13 seats, while only conceding three seats in the eastern region's 'Nakdong River belt' to the Democratic Party of Korea. In the last 20th presidential election, the average approval rating in Gyeongnam for former President Yoon was 58.24%, beating candidate Lee Jae-myung by a margin of 20.86% who garnered 37.38%.
◇“Many people say they won't go because it's dirty… Kim Moon-soo needs to work harder, and conservatives must unite”
Although Gyeongnam is a traditional conservative stronghold, the grassroots sentiment towards the People Power Party was not easily swayed. Citizens pointed out that the conservative camp is merely divided at a time when it should be doing everything possible to win the presidential election.
Ha Hyun-ho, an 80-year-old man running a bookstore on the second floor of the Jinju intercity bus terminal, did not hide his disappointment over the failure of unification. “Kim Moon-soo is a refined candidate. He is down-to-earth and has a strong character. Former President Park Chung-hee even said, 'You are part of the activists, but you have become a human being,' and acknowledged him in a private meeting on Nakdong River's sandy beach, but the party's involvement in the unification was a mistake right from the beginning.”
He regarded the martial law as inevitable due to the Democratic Party's unilateral legislative push. He added, “Now is not the time to demand an apology for impeachment. Yoon Suk-yeol shouldn't be made to leave the party,” emphasizing the need for a more combative stance against the Democratic Party and 'conservative unity' as conditions for victory.
Ha said, “Why are the people who ran together turning their backs? The Democratic Party is solidly united, trying hard to save Lee Jae-myung, and the People Power Party should learn from that. The conservatives are too refined. Candidates also need to put in a lot of effort. They need to call back those who participated (in the primary) ten or twenty times. They should bring them all in at this point. But only those who ran off to America and those who turned their backs are here,” raising his voice.
Yumi-soon (77) sitting beside also nodded, saying, “I might vote for (Kim Moon-soo) just because I don't want to see Lee Jae-myung, but there are tons of people disappointed in the unification. We need to bring everyone, Hong Joon-pyo, Han Dong-hoon, we cannot be concerned about our dignity in this situation,” adding her opinion.
Lee Mo (62) met at the entrance of the Miryang Arirang Market expressed pride in saying, “I am originally a conservative rightist,” and stated, “I think candidate replacement or opposing impeachment is acceptable.” Nevertheless, he added, “Lee Jun-seok is not suitable. We need to unify to win.” He also emphasized the urgent need for the conservative camp's unification.
There were criticisms regarding candidate Kim’s election message and campaigning style. Lee Mo, a citizen of Miryang who identified as a supporter of the Democratic Party, stated, “Today's speech was just like the recorded one from last time. They should be delivering speeches suitable for the region, talking about what they are doing for regional policies, but all they do is insult the opposition every time.”
On that day, a large photo banner of candidate Lee Jae-myung was hanging on the left side of the Miryang campaign venue. Candidate Kim even seemed conscious of this, referring to the photo two or three times during his speech by saying, “Here is the person who is posted.” There were voices saying this was somewhat inappropriate for a campaign location that should get concentrated attention.
◇“Lee Jae-myung might exceed 50% this time in Miryang. Lee Jun-seok is still not fully formed.”
Candidate Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party shouted at the entrance of the Miryang Gwanah, “Let’s unite! Vote! Win!” for over 20 minutes.
A woman running a side dish shop, Han Mo (67), expressed that regarding the question of 'What is the grassroots sentiment?' she said, “Miryang is a (conservative) stronghold,” but added, “Lee Jae-myung has guts,” declaring herself a supporter of candidate Lee Jae-myung. She further hinted, “The people gathered for today's speech had to come because members of the National Assembly or mayors or city council members asked them to come, but everyone hiding is supporting Lee Jae-myung.”
Among the people met at the market, disappointment over the martial law situation and the 'forced unification incident' pursued by the People Power Party erupted.
Kang Mo (56), who introduced herself as a supporter of the Democratic Party, said, “No one can match Lee Jae-myung in terms of administrative power and political power. He has already been verified. With years of verification as the governor of Gyeonggi Province and the mayor of Seongnam,” she stated, “While Yoon Suk-yeol has not been verified at all, he has brought us to this situation. Yet, people are gathering for (Kim candidate's campaign), which is regrettable.”
Kim Mo (64), who moved from Daejeon a year ago, also expressed his frustration over the martial law situation. He stated, “This is not a matter of progressives or conservatives. If the People Power Party apologizes for opposing impeachment (I might consider supporting them).” He criticized the 'forced unification incident' that occurred last weekend, saying, “Even a child wouldn't do that. We were too disappointed there. Things have changed a lot this time. If they wanted to unify, they should have come out sooner.”
He continued, “I don't think negatively of Kim Moon-soo. But I don’t know much about him except that he was the Minister of Labor,” adding, “This time, Lee Jae-myung might exceed 50% in Miryang. The moderate votes have all shifted to the Democratic Party.”
Park Mo (65), a market trader, also stated, “Sons, daughters-in-law, and daughters are all saying, 'This time, mom Kim Moon-soo cannot do it,'” revealing that older people, while they may not know much, are now listening to the opinions of the younger generation instead of saying 'just vote for the number one' like their parents did.
There were many voices evaluating Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party as 'it's too early to run for president.' One person said, “Han Dong-hoon is better than Lee Jun-seok,” while another remarked, “Lee Jun-seok is still not a person yet. He's just a kid. We have to see later; it's still early.”