Kim Jong-in "Going to Gwangju on the 19th... Has Been Too Indifferent to Honam"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, stated on the 11th, "I plan to visit Gwangju (5·18 Democratic Cemetery) on the 19th," adding, "I will listen to the public sentiment in Honam."

On the same day, Kim met with reporters at the National Assembly Members' Office Building and said, "Until now, the United Future Party has shown insufficient interest in Honam."

He added, "In the process of reorganizing the party, I intend to understand the public sentiment in Honam. We need to hear what those people think about the United Future Party to establish measures for Honam, including Gwangju."

Earlier, the day before, Kim visited Gurye in Jeonnam, which suffered damage from unprecedented heavy rains, to gauge public sentiment. Accompanying him, Floor Leader Joo Ho-young has been helping with flood recovery in Gurye for two consecutive days. If Kim visits Gwangju on the 19th, it will be his second visit to Honam within a week. The United Future Party leadership plans to pay respects at the 5·18 Democratic Cemetery and then issue a separate message to the public.

Regarding the approximately 6 percentage point increase in support in Honam, Kim refrained from evaluation, saying, "The United Future Party will continue to express interest in Honam."

On the party's internal claim that solar power facilities installed on mountain slopes worsened landslide damage, he said, "We have experienced the difficult situation where (solar power facilities) collapsed and landslides occurred," adding, "It's not that solar power itself is bad, but depending on where it is installed, accidents could have been prevented."

Regarding President Moon Jae-in's remarks at the Blue House the previous day during a meeting with senior secretaries and aides that "the housing market is stabilizing and the upward trend in house prices is beginning to subside," Kim criticized, "That is the president's personal opinion." He pointed out, "The president alone cannot say it is stabilized; ordinary citizens will make the judgment."

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