People Power Party Embraces Honam Sentiment Through 'Proportional Representation'... Also Faces Criticism as "Out of the Blue"

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, and Joo Ho-young, Floor Leader, are attending the Emergency Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The People Power Party has sent a love call to the Honam public sentiment by establishing a 'priority recommendation system' that fills one-quarter of the top 20 proportional representation candidates with individuals from Honam. The intention is to capture the hearts of Honam residents living in Seoul and secure the centrist vote in the Seoul by-election next April. However, there are also voices of criticism within the party saying it is "out of the blue."

On the 14th, the People Power Party held the first meeting of the National Integration Committee at the National Assembly and approved a plan to allocate one-quarter of the top 20 proportional representation candidates to people from Honam. This system will be finalized after going through the party convention and the emergency committee.

Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman, said, "'National integration' is the most important task that our People Power Party must solve," adding, "Since the presidential elections of candidates Kim Dae-jung and Park Chung-hee, Honam has been divided like a heretical region, and the ruling party has never received support from the Honam region. This time, by launching the National Integration Committee, we must be reborn as a party that receives balanced support from the entire nation."

This is also a strategic move aimed at the by-election in April next year. Chairman Kim explained, "If we want to achieve our goals in the by-election, the issue of national integration inevitably plays a significant role," and "For some reason, when looking at the composition ratio of Seoul's population, the largest group is people from the Honam region."

However, there are also critical voices within the party calling it "out of the blue." Jo Kyung-tae, the longest-serving lawmaker in the party, wrote on Facebook that "There are still four years left until the parliamentary election, so talking about proportional representation now is ill-timed and out of the blue," and pointed out, "We must put aside political ambitions and unify the opposition to win the by-election next year and make regime change possible."

Since transitioning to the 'Kim Jong-in emergency committee' system, the People Power Party has been focusing on embracing Honam. Chairman Kim knelt and tearfully apologized at the May 18 Democratic Cemetery and incorporated the spirit of May 18 into the party's platform. Recently, lawmakers have also adopted Gwangju and Honam constituencies as their 'second constituencies,' closely aligning with Honam public sentiment.

The efforts to embrace Honam will continue. After the national audit period ends, Floor Leader Joo Ho-young and the budget committee members plan to visit the Honam region to address major local issues and budgets. Chairman Kim will also sequentially visit Jeonbuk, Gwangju, and Jeonnam to establish sisterhood ties with local governments and hold budget meetings to secure national funds.

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