Yoon Seok-yeol Visits Gwangju Again to Woo Honam... "No Regionalism"

8th Visit to Honam After Political Declaration
Emphasizing Overcoming Regionalism with Mention of DJ
Condolences at People's Party Deceased's Funeral Hall After Schedule

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Park Jun-yi and Kang Joo-hee] Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, headed to Honam again on the second day of official election campaigning. This marks his eighth visit to Honam since his political declaration. On this day, he actively sought public favor by emphasizing the eradication of regionalism and promising support for the development of the Honam region.

On the morning of the 16th, Yoon climbed onto a campaign vehicle at Gwangju Songjeong Daily Market and said, "When I was in public office, I was transferred nationwide, packing my bags to Chungcheong, Gangwon, Gyeonggi, and other regions. I also worked in Gwangju for two years," emphasizing, "I have no regionalism." He then promised, "I, Yoon Seok-yeol, will break regionalism, achieve harmony and unity, and use this as a stepping stone to surely realize the prosperity of the Republic of Korea and the development of Gwangju."

He referred to former President Kim Dae-jung’s remark during the ‘Dialogue with the People’ when asked, "If you were to go to an uninhabited island in the South Pacific, what three things would you bring?" to which Kim answered, "Unemployment, corruption, and regionalism." Yoon emphasized, "This is the wise answer of a great leader. It is also the words of a giant who always thought about the people's livelihood." Earlier, in October last year, Yoon faced criticism from Honam citizens for his ‘remarks defending former President Jeon Du-hwan,’ so this appears to be a conscious effort.

However, the campaign event was held in a somewhat subdued atmosphere. The People Power Party banned logo songs and choreographed movements at the campaign site to express condolences for the fatal accident involving an election campaign vehicle from the People’s Party the previous day. Moreover, compared to the 500 to 1,000 people gathered at campaign sites in Daegu and Busan on the first day of campaigning, fewer citizens attended. About 70 to 80 citizens were present at the campaign site that day.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Previously, Yoon had put all his efforts into courting Honam. Emphasizing ‘walking together with Honam,’ he visited the Honam region multiple times, used all of his recent preliminary promotional materials to send handwritten letters to Honam voters, and on the 11th, toured 13 cities in the Chungcheong and Jeolla regions via the chartered ‘Passion Train.’ At the campaign site that day, a performance delivering replies to Yoon’s handwritten letters and citizen speeches also took place.

Party leader Lee Jun-seok also highlighted the support base in Honam. On MBC Radio, he said, "Based on Yoon’s current campaign in Honam, I judge that a very solid support base is being built," adding, "The outcome of the presidential election will be decided by how much success is achieved in targeting new support groups, namely Honam and the younger generation." Earlier, on the 8th, Lee raised the target vote share in Honam from 20% to 25%.

Following Gwangju, Yoon will emphasize the message of ‘regional integration’ at Jeonju Station in Jeonju, Jeonbuk. He also plans to campaign for the March presidential election alongside the by-election for the National Assembly seat in Cheongju Sangdang District in front of Lotte Cinema on Seongan-gil, Cheongju, Chungbuk. Former lawmaker Jeong Woo-taek has been nominated in this area. For the final campaign event of the day, he will visit the Culture Street in Wonju, Gangwon Province, delivering a message under the slogan ‘Yoon Seok-yeol Raised by the People, Reviving Gangwon Province’ for the development and prosperity of Gangwon.

After completing the schedule, he plans to visit the funeral homes of two deceased party members, including one who died in the People’s Party campaign vehicle accident in Cheonan, Chungnam, to pay his respects.

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