Kim Jong-in Kneels in 5·18 Memorial Visit... United Party's Successive Efforts to Embrace Honam Region

Strengthening Honors for 5·18 Veterans Bill Released
Flood Recovery Support Prioritized for Honam
Direct Criticism of Park Geun-hye in Daegu
Ruling Party Sends Love Call to Defectors and Moderates

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The United Future Party has launched a focused campaign targeting Honam, a 'barren land' for conservative parties. On the 19th, Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in visited Gwangju to pay respects at the May 18 Democratic Cemetery and delivered a public message emphasizing national unity. During this event, a bill to strengthen the treatment of May 18 merit recipients was also unveiled. It is known that the United Future Party has been coordinating detailed measures with May 18 organizations, such as providing pensions instead of one-time compensation. This Honam visit is analyzed as a strategic move by the United Future Party to embrace not only the moderate voters but also supporters who have defected from the Democratic Party of Korea.

In the afternoon, Chairman Kim visited the May 18 Democratic Square and listened to the sentiments of the Honam region through meetings with local small business owners and May 18 organizations. On the 18th, he attended the 11th anniversary memorial service of former President Kim Dae-jung’s passing, stating, "Former President Kim made the most groundbreaking contribution in the history of the Republic of Korea’s constitutional government by showing that Korea can truly be a democratic country," and emphasized, "Unity and harmony are urgently needed now, and as the leader of the opposition party, I will do my best to achieve this harmony."

Since Chairman Kim’s appointment, the United Future Party has actively courted Honam. A representative example is the party’s first visit to a flood disaster site in Gurye, Jeollanam-do, even before the Democratic Party leadership, to assist with recovery efforts. Additionally, the draft of the new party platform and policies includes the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Movement. Furthermore, a National Unity Committee directly under the Emergency Committee Chairman was formed, with Representative Jung Woon-cheon from Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, appointed as its head.

The day before, Chairman Kim delivered a sharp critique of former President Park Geun-hye in Daegu, a conservative stronghold. He said, "Former President Park made promises to the people during the 2012 presidential election. After winning, she erased those promises without leaving a single word. A regime that starts like that can never succeed," and added, "We need to reflect once again on why we faced the impeachment crisis." On the other hand, he extended a love call to the 30s and 40s generations, stating, "The United Future Party must coldly review whether it has properly adapted to the 30-40 age group," and "What they hate most are unfairness, inequality, undemocratic practices, and political turmoil." This clearly shows the party’s efforts to target the moderate voters through embracing Honam and others.

It remains to be seen whether the United Future Party’s broad activities will lead to a continued rise in approval ratings. Recently, the party surpassed the Democratic Party’s support rate for the first time since the impeachment crisis. According to a survey conducted by Realmeter on behalf of YTN from the 10th to the 14th, targeting 2,515 voters nationwide (response rate 5.4%, margin of error ±2.0 percentage points at 95% confidence level), the Democratic Party’s support dropped by 0.3 percentage points from the previous week to 34.8%, while the United Future Party’s support rose by 1.7 percentage points to 36.3%. For more details, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.

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