On the 28th, a day before the early voting date, Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, once again visited the TK (Daegu and North Gyeongsang) and PK (Busan and South Gyeongsang) regions to appeal for 'conservative consolidation.' He was particularly focused on rallying votes in the swing area known as the 'Naktong River Belt,' including Gimhae and Yangsan in South Gyeongsang.
Conservative supporters noted, "Support for Candidate Kim is increasing compared to the beginning," expressing mixed expectations. Centrist voters remarked that they would "vote for the candidate who can help them live well," while still withholding their judgment. The reason most frequently cited for supporting Candidate Kim was 'integrity.'
◇In South Gyeongsang, Gimhae, “Public opinion is split,” “If unification fails, we will unite more”
Around 11:40 a.m. at Gimhae Kim Su-ro King Tomb Park. Under the blazing sun, over 500 supporters gathered in front of the campaign vehicle, holding Taegeukgi-patterned umbrellas and red balloons. To escape the heat, crowds also gathered in the shade of the park trees. Although the candidate arrived about 20 minutes later than expected due to an added schedule to pay his respects at Kim Su-ro's tomb, many supporters did not leave their spots.
At around 12:10 p.m., Candidate Kim, appearing on stage with local lawmakers from South Gyeongsang, knelt down and performed a deep bow. The asphalt surface was heated by the direct sunlight.
The fervent public sentiment responded immediately to the energy at the site. Mr. Kim (70s, male), standing in the shade of a tree at the campaign venue, said, "The atmosphere is good. It's better than when Yoon Suk-yeol was in office. Kim Moon-soo is clean."
Ms. Lee (50s, female), standing right next to him, also commented, "I support Kim Moon-soo because he is honest. If Lee Jae-myung becomes president and just disperses money, only the poor will become poorer." She conveyed that there were both people saying they would not go to the polling place and those who would.
Mr. Jung Myung-sik (69, male), the owner of a shoe store across the campaign venue, introduced himself as a member of the People Power Party, noting, "Since there is an opposition party lawmaker in Gimhae, listening to customers' comments shows that public opinion is split."
He evaluated that the state of emergency and impeachment have also had an impact. He added, "(In the debate) Candidate Lee didn’t speak when he was at a disadvantage and just glossed over it," saying that public sentiment towards Candidate Kim has heated up since the broadcast debate. He also noted, "If unification with Lee Jun-seok does not happen, won’t we unite even more?"
There was a clear generational divide in support tendencies. Ms. Kim (68, female), who was right in front of the shoe store, remarked, "There are many supporters of the Democratic Party in Gimhae. People like us who are nearly 60 mostly support Kim Moon-soo. However, the younger generation seems to support Lee Jae-myung more. Right now, both the current lawmaker and the mayor are from the Democratic Party."
She continued, "In the past, the elders supported Lee Jae-myung a lot, but nowadays Kim Moon-soo has caught up significantly. After the debate, it changed a lot."
◇In South Gyeongsang, Yangsan also shows no ‘convergence’ atmosphere… “It’s a pity that unification fell through”
At 2:30 p.m., in front of Emart Yangsan in South Gyeongsang. Under the relentless sun with no shade, Candidate Kim bowed deeply once more, lowering his head. The crowd did not fill up the road stretching in front of the campaign venue. Due to the hot weather, citizens watched Candidate Kim's campaign from the sidewalk next to the road.
During the day's campaign, promises regarding regional development, such as the metropolitan railway connecting Busan and Ulsan and the establishment of national industrial complexes by attracting corporations, were abundant.
Kim Tae-ho, a lawmaker representing Yangsan in South Gyeongsang, stated, "(For job creation) let’s aim for 500,000, and please attract the best high-tech corporations in the future," to which Candidate Kim promised, "Jobs are welfare," adding that he would become the "job president and the transportation president."
However, the atmosphere at the campaign venue was quite different from Gimhae. About 2:10 p.m., just before Candidate Kim officially took the stage, a man in his 50s yelled, "Kim Moon-soo is a conspirator of rebellion!" and Kim's supporters harshly responded, "Shut up!" A tense atmosphere spread across the campaign venue for a moment.
Mr. Park (30s, male), who was watching Candidate Kim's campaign, identified as having centrist inclinations and stated, "I plan to vote for a candidate who can create a world where future generations can live well."
He further assessed, "The media play by the two major parties is also a problem, and neither side has done well. It was wrong for the People Power Party to impose martial law. The Democratic Party's pursuit of something like a basic social system doesn’t seem to fit the Korean economy."
He also remarked, "I wonder if Candidate Lee Jun-seok could gain an advantage even if he just takes a good image from the election," stating that he is considering choosing among the candidates from the two major parties regardless of whether unification occurs.
As unification fell through a day before early voting, disappointment also surfaced. Mr. Ahn (73, male), met in front of Emart, said, "If unification had happened, it would have been better, but Lee Jun-seok didn’t go for it." He added, "There are originally many supporters of the People Power Party here, but what good is it if we only win here? Overall, it seems difficult."
Still, he added, "I don't know if it will go up or down in the remaining time. If we all come together, who knows what will happen?" signaling he held onto some hope.
Ms. Sung (54, female), met near the campaign venue, introduced herself as a 'centrist' and expressed her complicated feelings.
She remarked, "Not everything about the People Power Party pleases me, but I feel that the Democratic Party is more dangerous." Initially, she supported former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. She stated, "I believe we need a figure who can bridge Honam and Yeongnam and someone who can tidy up politics through constitutional amendment," adding, "At first, I thought Candidate Kim Moon-soo was just stubborn, but after researching, I found he is quite an impressive person."
She continued, "If Candidate Lee Jae-myung becomes president, I believe there will be no checks at all. There will be continuous demonstrations. Candidate Kim Moon-soo has stated he will align his presidency with three years, so I hope it will just end like that. I want a peaceful country."
◇Kim Moon-soo, ‘conservative reformation’ just a day before early voting
That morning, Candidate Kim began by paying respects at the grave of Kim Joo-yeol at the National 3.15 Democracy Memorial in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, and then traversed the Naktong River Belt, including Gimhae in South Gyeongsang, Busan, and Yangsan, and concluded his campaign in Daegu after passing through Gyeongsangbuk-do.
The region known as the Naktong River Belt, comprising Busan and South Gyeongsang, is considered a battleground. In the eight elections held over the past decade, parties related to the Democratic Party and the People Power Party alternately won four times each.
In the last presidential election, Candidate Lee Jae-myung lost to former President Yoon Suk-yeol by a margin of 0.73 percentage points in the overall vote but trailed by about 20 percentage points in the Naktong River Belt region.
In the last 22nd general election, the People Power Party was unable to reclaim the districts of Gimhae Gap and Eul, known as 'the holy land of pro-Roh,' while the Democratic Party ceded all of Yangsan Gap and Eul, where former President Moon Jae-in's private residence is located, to the People Power Party.
A day before the early voting date, Candidate Kim visited the battlegrounds, urging conservative consolidation and encouraging early voting. He stated during his last campaign event at Daegu Dongseongro 28 Art Square around 7:30 p.m., "You must vote in the early voting tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. If we don’t acknowledge that as election fraud, we will be at a loss."
Candidate Kim will participate in early voting on the 29th in Incheon Gyeyang, the district of Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung.