‘Opposition Stronghold Gwangju’ Lee Jae-myung Supporters VS Yoon Seok-yeol Supporters

The 20th Presidential Election Just Over 110 Days Away... Full-Scale Three-Way Battle Between Ruling and Opposition Parties

Democratic Party and People Power Party 'Campaign Committee' Countdown, Focus on 'Network Rivalry'

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate, are attending an event held at Grand Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjang-dong, Seoul, and exchanging greetings. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] The 20th presidential election, scheduled for March 9 next year, is just over 110 days away.

This election will be the so-called "Cherry Blossom Election," held in spring for the first time in history due to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, instead of winter. The election is gaining momentum as Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate, have recently been confirmed.

Although there are candidates such as Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party, Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party, and former Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong-yeon, the current structure is largely a two-horse race between "Yoon Seok-youl VS Lee Jae-myung."

Both candidates share the commonality of being "zero-term" members of the National Assembly. If one of them becomes president, it is a point of interest whether they can change South Korea beyond the established politics represented by Yeouido politics, or if the limitations of a zero-term president’s experience will be revealed.

Neither Yoon Seok-youl nor Lee Jae-myung is originally from the Gwangju area, but due to the nature of the presidential election, many well-known figures from Gwangju are deeply embedded in their respective camps.

First, beside Yoon Seok-youl of the People Power Party stand former National Assembly members Song Ki-seok and Kim Kyung-jin.

Former Assemblyman Song Ki-seok serves as the co-chairman of the Gwangju Joint Election Countermeasures Committee, while former Assemblyman Kim Kyung-jin holds the position of Special Advisor for External Cooperation.

Song, a former judge, had a connection with Yoon when he worked at the Gwangju District Court while Yoon was a prosecutor in the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office’s special investigations division. It is known that they kept in contact even after Yoon declared his political candidacy.

Kim Kyung-jin, who gained the nickname "Sseukkayojeong" during the Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil hearings and emerged as a hearing star, joined Yoon’s camp earlier. He is the first among current and former Gwangju National Assembly members to do so.

Kim, known as a man close to Ahn Cheol-soo, joining Yoon’s camp was considered unusual at the time. Serving as a full-time Special Advisor for External Cooperation, he faithfully played the role of "Yoon Seok-youl’s shield."

Recently, former four-term Gwangju National Assembly members Kim Dong-cheol and Park Joo-sun have also publicly endorsed Yoon.

With heavyweight politicians based in Gwangju supporting Yoon, it is expected that his outreach will somewhat ease. However, since these politicians were almost ousted in Gwangju, there is also speculation that it is difficult to weigh the pros and cons.

Additionally, former Jeonnam National University Hospital Director Yoon Taek-rim is serving as the election countermeasures committee chairman, and former Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office Investigation Division Chief Joo Ki-hwan, who had ties with Yoon during his time at the Gwangju Prosecutors’ Office, is reportedly assisting behind the scenes.

Yoon’s official election countermeasures committee is expected to launch next week, and it is reported that the integration of two to three support groups is also being considered.

Beside Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, many key figures from the Honam region, the heartland of the Democratic Party, are positioned.

Among Honam-origin National Assembly members, Min Hyung-bae’s role, who was the first to support Lee during the Democratic Party primary, is drawing attention.

He served as the head of the strategy headquarters during the primary, closely assisting Lee. Especially during fierce negative exchanges with former leader Lee Nak-yeon, he actively defended Lee through his SNS and other channels.

In September, he directly denied rumors of running for Gwangju mayor in next year’s local elections and declared he would not run, urging support for Lee.

Attorney Jeong Jun-ho, who is mentioned as a candidate for Gwangju mayor in next year’s local elections, also declared support for Lee early on.

He is praised for effectively acting as a bridge for communication between Lee and the younger generation, emphasizing youth. Currently, he supports Lee from the outside as a co-executive director of "Hope 22 Forum," a voluntary support group for Lee.

Former Chosun University Vice President Kim Jae-hyung is also a strong supporter of Lee.

He has been serving as the policy director of the Basic Income National Movement Gwangju Headquarters since its launch in January and has proposed overcoming the current university crisis by applying Lee’s "basic income" concept.

When Lee was a primary candidate, Professor Kim advocated for stopping regressive regionalism negative campaigns and moving toward policy debates, supporting Lee.

Former Gyeonggi Agricultural and Food Distribution Promotion Institute Director Kang Wi-won is also classified as a person close to Lee. Kang served as director of the Deurou Senior Welfare Center while Min Hyung-bae was mayor of Gwangsan District, Gwangju, and also served as director of the Deurou Gwangju Research Institute.

Since retiring as director of the Gyeonggi Agricultural and Food Distribution Promotion Institute in July, he currently oversees Lee’s schedule and communicates directly with him.

Additionally, former Seoul City Council member Kim Moon-soo from Suncheon is actively working in Lee’s camp.

With the 20th presidential election just over 110 days away, the contest between the People Power Party, expecting over 15% of the vote in Gwangju, and the Democratic Party, hoping for a landslide in their stronghold, is anticipated to be a key point of interest, including the rivalry between the two candidates’ networks.

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