[Honam Public Sentiment] Mokpo "Still Park Ji-won" VS "Will Vote for Generational Change and Democratic Party"

Park Ji-won, Minsheng Party Candidate

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] On the 7th, at Mokpo City 3 Square where Minsaengdang candidate Park Ji-won was greeting commuters, many citizens responded by rolling down their car windows and giving thumbs up or waving, proving his recognition as a three-term incumbent in this area.

Han Mo (72, male), who came to greet candidate Park after visiting a nearby oriental medicine clinic, said emphatically, "For Mokpo to move forward, it has to be Park Ji-won." Kim Mo (pseudonym), a man in his 40s on his way to work, also said, "I like Park Ji-won. Isn't he a political master? He has done a lot for Mokpo. I think it’s better to have Park Ji-won serve one more term rather than a first-term lawmaker." Park Mo, a taxi driver in his 70s who has lived in Mokpo for 30 years, said, "Among residents, Park Ji-won is so familiar that even if they go to the polling station intending to vote for the Democratic Party, their minds might change and they could vote for Park Ji-won."

However, the call for generational change was also strong. A woman in her 70s, who shook hands with candidate Park during his morning greeting, said, "He has been in office too long." She added, "Even after more than ten years, Mokpo hasn’t changed. It needs to change." A man in his early 40s met near Sanjeong-dong said, "They create a world where people in their 60s and 70s should retire, but I don’t understand why they want to be lawmakers until their 80s," raising his voice, "How old is the candidate? We need generational change."

Former Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok is campaigning in support of Kim Won-i, the Democratic Party candidate, at Mokpo Dongbu Market on the afternoon of the 7th.

There were also many responses like "I don’t know Kim Won, but I will vote for the Democratic Party." Kim Mo, who runs a restaurant in Manho-dong, said, "I don’t know Kim Won well, but since Mokpo people are Democratic Party supporters, they will vote for candidate Kim," emphasizing, "Support for the Democratic Party in Honam is essentially support for former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon." He added, "Candidate Park can no longer rely on the legacy of DJ (former President Kim Dae-jung)." A nearby resident in his 50s said, "I learned about Kim Won from campaign materials," but revealed, "I will vote for the Democratic Party."

Reflecting this atmosphere, candidate Kim presented messages from ruling party leadership and key figures from the Blue House instead of campaign music. Especially on this day, former Chief of Staff Lim accompanied the campaign at Dongbu Market in Yeongnam 1-dong, attracting a crowd.

Regarding Justice Party candidate Yoon So-ha, many responded that while the person is excellent, the party is disappointing. A man in his 50s met near Mokpo Station said, "As a person, I like Yoon So-ha the most, and the atmosphere is that she is recognized locally," but added, "Many people say they will vote for the Democratic Party because they are afraid she will become a 'spoiler'." Another man in his 60s said, "I really think Yoon So-ha loves the region," but "since the Justice Party does not fit with Honam, it will be difficult for her to win." He added, "If Yoon So-ha had run as a Democratic Party candidate, she would have won 100%."

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