Lee Jun-seok Accelerates Honam Strategy... 'Focusing on Regional Issues like Saemangeum Project'

[Asia Economy=Reporter Park Jun-yi] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, visited Honam once again after four days. Amid a nationwide surge in People Power Party membership registrations, he appears to be accelerating efforts to expand the party's base.

On the morning of the 18th, Lee visited Mangyeong Bridge, the site of the Saemangeum Project in Gimje, Jeonbuk. At Mangyeong Bridge, he received a progress report on the Saemangeum Project from Saemangeum Authority officials and reviewed current issues such as promotion plans. Lee asked, "Besides corporate tax or customs duty benefits offered in other regions to attract companies, is there any special privilege or way to assist the Saemangeum Project?" He also promised, "Since this is a nationally important project, we will examine it carefully to provide support."

Earlier, on the 14th, Lee chose Daejeon National Cemetery and the joint memorial altar for the victims of the Gwangju bus accident as his first schedule after taking office. While the first visit was a symbolic gesture to mourn national incidents and disaster victims, this day’s visit was a discussion for industrial development in the Honam region. At the Supreme Council meeting the previous day, Lee emphasized, "Our efforts toward Honam, which began under former Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in, should not be limited to reflecting on our past mistakes," adding, "From now on, our party’s message to the Honam region will be a concrete message about job creation and industrial infrastructure expansion."

This approach seems to actively express the intention to continue the 'journey with Honam' strategy following former Chairman Kim and floor leader Kim Ki-hyun. During a joint debate in Gwangju when he was a candidate, he mentioned the reasons why the People Power Party is shunned in Honam and stressed, "We must work harder to be recognized more in Honam." The active courting of Honam following the previous leadership has actually led to increased interest in the Honam region. It is reported that over 580 people applied to join the People Power Party in Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Jeonbuk in the past month alone. In particular, the Jeonbuk Provincial Party Committee saw membership applications rise from about five per month to over 200 this month (as of the 18th).

On the morning of the same day, Lee visited the Myeongshin factory of the 'Gunsan-type Jobs' project, followed by major industrial sites in Jeonju such as the National Hydrogen Industry Complex and the Jeolla Line high-speed railway project in the afternoon. He plans to tour the western new town area of Jeonju to listen to public opinion.

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