Ahead of the Party Convention, the Opposition Gathers in the Conservative Stronghold TK... "The Heart of Our Party"

From Kim Gi-hyeon to Na Kyung-won, Joo Ho-young, Lee Jun-seok, and Cho Kyung-tae, all from TK

(Daegu=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Hyuntae = On the 19th, at Donghwasa Temple in Dong-gu, Daegu, former People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won attended the Buddha's Birthday ceremony and greeted citizens.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] About 20 days before the party convention, the opposition is heading to the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) region, known as a 'conservative stronghold.' This move is seen as an effort to secure the support of the TK public, the traditional base of conservative parties.

Kim Ki-hyun, acting leader and floor leader of the People Power Party, will visit the birthplace of former President Park Chung-hee in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, on the morning of the 20th. This is the first visit by the People Power Party leadership to this symbolic site of hardline conservatives since 2019 during the tenure of former Liberty Korea Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party) leader Hwang Kyo-ahn. This contrasts with the earlier visit to the Gwangju area, which emphasized 'solidarity with Honam.'

Kim’s visit to Gumi is interpreted as a move to appeal to the TK public ahead of the party convention. In an interview with Asia Economy that morning, he said, "Please understand this visit as a step to care for the local economy and small and medium-sized enterprises in the Gyeongsang region." He added, "Visiting Gyeongbuk after Honam can be seen as a balanced approach." He plans to visit the Gumi Chamber of Commerce and the semiconductor specialist company KEC to review semiconductor-related issues.

Candidates who need to win votes directly also flocked to the TK region. Former People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won attended the Buddha’s Birthday celebration ceremony at Donghwasa Temple in Daegu the day before. This served as her debut in the TK region, a 'conservative stronghold,' ahead of her official candidacy announcement on the 20th. In an interview with MBC Radio’s 'Kim Jong-bae’s Focus,' she said, "Daegu-Gyeongbuk has probably been the region with the most supporters of our party," and added, "I decided to move to listen broadly to public sentiment."

People Power Party lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae (Busan Saha-gu Eul) will hold a series of party member meetings in the Gyeongbuk region from that day through the weekend. Cho explained the purpose of his visit, saying, "Gyeongbuk has the largest number of party members, and they have a strong loyalty to the party," and "I will visit the heart of our party to show respect to the members."

People Power Party lawmaker Joo Ho-young (Daegu Suseong-gu Gap) plans to visit the Daegu city party office on the 21st to hold a press conference and present his policy platform. Former Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok is also reported to stay in Daegu for two weeks starting next week to listen to public sentiment.

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