Yoon Seok-yeol's Remarks on 'Gwangju Complex Shopping Mall' Spark Sharp Conflict Between Democratic Party and People Power Party

People Power Party Officially Proposes 'Complex Shopping Mall Debate' to Democratic Party

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is expressing his views on the 'complex shopping mall' during a base campaign at Songjeong Daily Market in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City on the morning of the 16th.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Democratic Party and the People Power Party are sharply clashing over Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, and his remarks on the 'attraction of a complex shopping mall in the Gwangju area.'

According to local political circles on the 17th, the People Power Party officially proposed a debate to the Democratic Party regarding the complex shopping mall in the Gwangju area.

Earlier, on the previous day, Candidate Yoon made remarks related to the 'attraction of a complex shopping mall' during a campaign rally in Gwangju.

Candidate Yoon said, "In places like Busan and Daegu, there are complex shopping malls where citizens can enjoy cultural activities, shop, and watch movies, but Gwangju alone does not have a proper place," adding, "Therefore, residents of Gwangju and Jeonnam have to travel to other regions."

He continued, "The residents of Gwangju and Jeonnam have long hoped for the attraction of a complex shopping mall, but who prevented this from happening?" and questioned, "Why should wealthy people and relatively disadvantaged people support specific political parties respectively?"

He also emphasized, "Not only the attraction of a complex shopping mall but also the development of Gwangju can reduce the outflow of the younger generation," and "Gwangju will be at the center of South Korea's development."

In response, the Democratic Party immediately pushed back.

Song Gap-seok, Chairman of the Democratic Party's Gwangju City Committee, issued a statement saying, "Market merchants have suffered unimaginable pain for over two years due to COVID-19, so who exactly is the presidential candidate that talks about attracting large corporate complex shopping malls to traditional markets?" He argued, "The shamelessness of talking about attracting large corporate complex shopping malls in front of traditional market merchants is not the only problem."

He added, "In this situation, rather than presenting concrete measures to restore people's livelihoods as a presidential candidate, expressing strong regret over the focus on sowing discord by mentioning 'GRDP ranking last' is necessary," and raised his voice, saying, "Inciting pro and con debates without basic knowledge of the local economic structure and disparaging the region with provocative remarks is nothing but outdated division tactics."

In this situation, the People Power Party countered again and proposed an official debate, which is interpreted as a strategy to preempt the Honam region's issues.

The People Power Party stated, "We hoped for a city where traditional markets and complex shopping malls coexist, and large corporations, small business owners, and self-employed people coexist and develop in harmony," and claimed, "According to a public opinion poll released last year by a Gwangju media outlet, 6 out of 10 Gwangju citizens (58%) supported the attraction of a complex shopping mall, while opposition was only 10%."

They also pointed out, "Among young people in their 20s and 30s, over 70% and 59.6% of self-employed people actively supported the attraction," and criticized, "Despite this demand for attracting complex shopping malls, the Democratic Party is misleading public opinion by claiming that the People Power Party is fostering division and conflict."

Furthermore, they said, "If the Democratic Party's Gwangju City Committee continues to oppose the attraction of complex shopping malls desired by Gwangju citizens, we will directly ask the citizens and appeal for the attraction," and announced, "The People Power Party's Gwangju City Committee proposes a debate with the Democratic Party's Gwangju City Committee officials on the topic of promoting complex shopping malls."

They added, "Through the debate, we request that the thoughts of both parties on this issue be fairly presented to the citizens of Gwangju."

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