To Jeju, to Gangwon, to Incheon... Nationwide Campaign Tour

Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Jongno District, Lee Nak-yeon, is greeting residents on their way to work in Buam-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, on the 3rd. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kang Nahum and Won Dara] On the second day of the official campaign for the April 15 general election, all political parties from both the ruling and opposition camps launched full-scale nationwide campaigns on the 3rd. The ruling coalition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, headed to Jeju to attend the Jeju 4.3 Victims Memorial Ceremony, while the United Future Party, together with the Future Korea Party, focused on winning votes in Incheon.

The Democratic Party and its proportional representation party, the Together Citizens' Party, attended the 4.3 Victims Memorial Ceremony held at the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park in Bonggae-dong, Jeju City, in the morning. After the ceremony, the parties held a joint campaign committee meeting at the Jeju City campaign office. They also scheduled meetings with the Jeju 4.3 victims' families association, visits to Yeongmowon (memorial park), and dialogues with local residents.

Lee Nak-yeon, the Democratic Party's Standing Election Committee Chair, visited Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, to support the campaign. In the afternoon, he planned to hold a press briefing at the Democratic Party's Gangwon Provincial Office to announce strategies for capturing votes in Gangwon Province. He also intended to meet merchants at Gangwon Jeil Central Market to listen to their difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and appeal for support for Democratic Party candidates.

The United Future Party and the Future Korea Party held their second joint campaign committee meeting in Incheon. They appeared to be focusing on winning votes in the metropolitan area for two consecutive days. In particular, Kim Jong-in, the United Future Party’s overall campaign committee chair, decided to tour the entire Incheon area to support the election immediately after the meeting. The Future Korea Party’s campaign committee also planned to visit Min Kyung-wook, the United Future Party candidate for Yeonsu District, and Yoon Hyung-sun, the candidate for Gyeyang District, to boost their campaigns after the meeting.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

While the United Future Party and Future Korea Party campaign committees concentrated on campaigning in Incheon, Hwang Kyo-ahn, the United Future Party leader, decided to stay in Jongno and continue campaigning there. This move is interpreted as an effort to recover from lagging behind his competitor Lee Nak-yeon in various public opinion polls.

The Open Democratic Party and the People’s Party continued their campaigns in the Honam region following the previous day. The Open Democratic Party planned to announce education pledges at the Jeonbuk Provincial Council, while Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, intended to start in Gwangyang, pass through Hwagae Market, and head to Gurye to listen to local public sentiment and appeal for support for the People’s Party. Additionally, the Minsheng Party and the Justice Party campaign committees planned to attend the Jeju 4.3 Victims Memorial Ceremony and then support their candidates’ campaigns in the Jeju area.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.