Outside-the-ring excitement... Candidates expand votes, ruling and opposition leaders unite forces "We hold the home base"

On the 16th, Song Young-gil, Democratic Party leader, tours Jeonju, Iksan, and Gunsan to win public support in Honam region
Lee Jun-seok, leader, canvasses grassroots sentiment thoroughly in Busan alleys for two consecutive days...

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Kim Young-won] On the second day of the official presidential election campaign, the battle outside the ring between the ruling and opposition party leaderships also heated up. The Democratic Party leadership took turns touring the Honam region, their stronghold, for two consecutive days to appeal for support, while the People Power Party spent the second day canvassing every corner of Busan to gauge grassroots public sentiment. While the presidential candidates targeting the undecided voters are focusing on the '5% contest,' the parties seem to be strategizing to secure their 'home base' supporters.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 16th, Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party, toured Jeonju, Iksan, and Gunsan to appeal to the core support base in the Honam region. Following Jeong Se-gyun, a senior advisor to the campaign committee from Jeonbuk, visiting Jeonju the previous day, and Lee Nak-yeon, the general campaign committee chairman from Jeonnam, visiting Gwangju, Song also made efforts to court voters, showing the Democratic Party leadership's intense focus on winning over Honam voters for two consecutive days. Honam is traditionally considered a Democratic Party stronghold, but unlike the overwhelming support in the past, recent polls show the People Power Party's support rate reaching double digits, raising the Democratic Party's caution.

The People Power Party has raised its target vote share in the Honam region from 20% to 25%. On the same day, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, appeared on MBC Radio and said, "There is no particular reason for Honam voters to choose candidate Lee other than that he is the Democratic Party candidate," adding, "The party conducted in-depth research, and based on that, we decided it was appropriate to raise the target."

However, the Democratic Party believes there will be a difference between poll support rates and actual vote shares and plans to focus all efforts on consolidating its support base. Jo Oh-seop, the party's floor spokesperson representing Gwangju, said in a phone interview, "In the 2017 presidential election, candidate Moon Jae-in's poll support was 40%, but the actual vote share exceeded 60%," adding, "This time, we are aiming for a 90% vote share." He also criticized, "Although polls show candidate Yoon's support in Honam exceeding 20%, it does not feel that way on the ground during the campaign."

Meanwhile, Lee Nak-yeon, the general campaign committee chairman, chaired the central election committee meeting in the morning to review COVID-19 measures and met with Chung Mong-gyu, chairman of HDC Hyundai Development Company, in the afternoon to discuss follow-up measures related to the Gwangju I-Park collapse accident, supporting the party's efforts to focus solely on the election. On the same day, Yoon Ho-jung, floor leader of the Democratic Party, toured Gangwon Province?Chuncheon, Hoengseong, Hongcheon, Inje, Wontong, and Sokcho?throughout the day, appealing for support for candidate Lee.

In response, the People Power Party continued to target Busan voters more intensively following the previous day. On the previous day, party leader Lee rode a 'Labo,' a small cargo vehicle nicknamed 'Yongdalcha,' for campaigning. On this day, to support People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, who was penetrating the Honam region to expand his base, Lee toured every alley in Busan for the second day, appealing for support for candidate Yoon.

In the morning, Lee toured the alleys of Dong-gu, Seo-gu, and Saha-gu in Busan, and in the afternoon, he thoroughly canvassed every corner of Busan, including Gangseo-gu, Haeundae-gu, Suyeong-gu, and Nam-gu, emphasizing the importance of securing a solid base. Reiterating that "a landslide victory in Busan is crucial," he pleaded with supporters, saying, "We absolutely cannot lose this election; the future of the Republic of Korea is at stake."

On the same day, Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader of the People Power Party, toured Chuncheon, Hongcheon, Hoengseong, and Wonju to capture votes in Gangwon Province, and Representative Hong Joon-pyo is also expected to actively support candidate Yoon going forward. On the 12th, Hong started his first joint campaign event with party leader Lee in Dongseong-ro, the center of Daegu, marking the first step of the 'One Team.' At the Dongdaegu Station rally the previous day, Representative Hong joined hands with candidate Yoon, reaffirming their determination to conservative supporters.

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