"Removing Tyranny to Save the People"… Yoon Seok-yeol Emphasizes the Spirit of the Donghak Peasant Movement

West Coast Belt Campaign Continues for Second Day
Winning Public Support in Jeongeup and Mokpo
Visit to DJ's Birthplace in Sinan-gun

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee, Jeongeup=Reporter Hyunji Kwon] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, said on the 23rd, "The Donghak Peasant Revolution was a monumental event that awakened the people to be the owners of the country by resisting the corruption and plunder of the ruling class," adding, "Although the revolution failed, the spirit of the Donghak Revolution still burns deeply in the hearts of all our people."

On the second day of his visit to the ‘West Coast Belt’ connecting Chungnam and Honam, Yoon began his schedule in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk. After paying respects at the Donghak Peasant Revolution Memorial Hall’s Gumin Hall, he spoke to reporters with these remarks.

Yoon’s comments on this day are interpreted as a reminder of the fundamental principle of democracy, sovereignty of the people. He emphasized ‘Boguk Anmin,’ meaning to help the nation’s affairs and bring peace to the people, and ‘Jepok Gumin,’ meaning to defeat tyranny and save the people, which are the basic slogans of the Donghak Peasant Movement. Kim Eun-hye, the spokesperson for the People Power Party’s election campaign headquarters, explained, "If someone uses the power granted by the people for their own gain, they are unfit as a leader and it is a serious social problem," adding, "The eradication of corruption is a fundamental lesson of sovereignty of the people, which is connected to this."

After paying respects, Yoon headed to Mokpo, Jeonnam, and Haedo Island in Sinan County to win over the hearts of voters in the Honam region, where he is at a disadvantage. This visit comes a week after his previous visit on the 16th. Yoon is putting effort into winning votes by delivering handwritten letters to 2.3 million households of Honam voters and visiting Honam immediately after the official start of the election campaign.

Yoon will hold a focused on-site campaign in Mokpo. At the event, he plans to emphasize leadership based on harmony and forgiveness, the spirit of overcoming regionalism, and national unity. His strategy is to appeal to local sentiment under the title, "Yoon Seok-yeol, raised by the people, will wipe away the tears of Mokpo." He promises to develop Mokpo and the Jeonnam region’s economy by utilizing Mokpo’s abundant marine resources to create a world-class marine tourism belt and attracting tailored businesses.

In the afternoon, Yoon will become the first conservative party candidate to visit the birthplace of the late President Kim Dae-jung on Haedo Island in Sinan County. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, visited this place during the Democratic Party primary last August but has not yet visited as a presidential candidate. The day before, at a campaign event in a traditional market in Dangjin, Chungnam, Yoon attracted attention by saying, "I will cooperate with sensible politicians who led the government rationally in Kim Dae-jung’s and Roh Moo-hyun’s Democratic Party, not Lee Jae-myung’s Democratic Party." This is an unusual remark for a conservative party candidate.

By visiting the birthplace, Yoon plans to deliver a message of national unity. He also intends to highlight the image of former President Kim Dae-jung as a symbol of peace and human rights and as a capable economic leader who overcame the foreign exchange crisis.

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