Yoon Targets Centrists with 'Chungcheong·Youth'... Launches 'Kim Byung-jun One-Top' System

Presiding Over the First Campaign Committee Meeting on the 29th... "I am a Son of Chungcheong"
Seven Youth Advisors Appointed to the Campaign Headquarters General Division

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is delivering opening remarks at the Central Election Countermeasures Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 29th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Bomryeong Geum and Juni Park] On the 29th, Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, who officially established his election campaign committee, chose to visit the Chungcheong region as his first schedule. This strategy aims to capture the centrist vote in Chungcheong, which has played a 'casting vote' role in past presidential elections. Although the campaign committee without Kim Jong-in has faced continuous noise since its launch, Yoon announced additional appointments to the campaign committee and appealed for youth support, gradually stabilizing his team.

Before departing for Chungcheong in the morning, Yoon chaired a campaign committee meeting at the National Assembly, declaring, "I am a son of Chungcheong, and Chungcheong is like my hometown," and "Starting with firing the signal flare for regime change in Chungcheong, the central region, I intend to embark on a 100-day march to victory." Although Yoon is from Seoul, his father's hometown is Gongju, Chungnam.

The key themes presented by Yoon's campaign committee that day were 'balance and future.' The vision is to achieve regional balanced development and scientific and technological advancement through the development of the Chungcheong area. In the afternoon, Yoon visited Sejong and Daejeon, then plans to visit Cheongju on the 30th and Cheonan and Asan on the 1st of next month during a 2-night, 3-day schedule.

The campaign committee launched under a 'Kim Byung-joon one-top' system. Since former emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in has not expressed his intention to join, the position of overall campaign chairman for him remains vacant. Various opinions have emerged inside and outside the party regarding Kim Jong-in's moves, but Kim Byung-joon, the standing campaign committee chairman, announced additional appointments consecutively that day, signaling a push for a 'stable campaign committee.' Party leader Lee Jun-seok has also expressed his intention to delegate most of his authority to Chairman Kim.

At the campaign committee meeting that day, alongside floor leader Kim Ki-hyun and policy chief Kim Do-eup, lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae, Professor Lee Soo-jung of Kyonggi University's Department of Criminal Psychology, and Dina Stryukova, CEO of 'Rapavo,' were appointed as co-chairs of the campaign committee. Cho, a five-term lawmaker, was the overall campaign chairman for Hong Joon-pyo, Yoon's primary rival in the party's presidential race, which is interpreted as part of building a 'one team.' Although party leader Lee Jun-seok initially expressed some reservations about Professor Lee's appointment, she ultimately joined the team. CEO Dina Stryukova is a granddaughter of forcibly relocated Koreans from Sakhalin and a working mother.

Additionally, Yoon is focusing on courting the youth vote. That day, he promised, "The Yoon Seok-yeol government will be a youth-friendly government," and "We will harness the outstanding capabilities, passion, courage, and spirit of challenge of young people as the driving force of national governance."

Since the launch of the campaign committee, Yoon has continuously emphasized this message through youth-related events. On this day, he appointed seven youth aides to the campaign committee's general headquarters and announced plans to continue adding more. Headquarters-level figures such as lawmakers Kwon Seong-dong and Joo Ho-young, and former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong also mentioned youth, emphasizing an 'inclusive campaign committee' and a 'melting pot campaign committee.'

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