Lee Jun-seok Targets Voters in Gwangju Daily, Emphasizing 'Attracting Complex Shopping Mall' and 'Honam Neglect Theory'

"Sound the Alarm to the Democratic Party, Appeal to Break the Prejudice of Traditional Conservative Base"

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, is appealing for support for candidate Yoon Seok-yeol on the afternoon of the 24th at Chungjang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, has been igniting the debate over the alleged neglect of Honam in Gwangju and targeting voters there day after day.

As the 'first leader in his 30s in constitutional history,' Lee visited Dong-gu Chungjang-ro, a hot place for the MZ generation in Gwangju, on the afternoon of the 24th, linking presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol's proposal to attract a 'complex shopping mall' to the neglect theory and launched an offensive.

He emphasized that the monopolistic structure of a particular party in Honam, the stronghold of the Democratic Party of Korea, has hindered regional development, appearing to focus on a '30% vote share' goal.

During the street campaign that day, Lee said, "Gwangju politics has brought no benefits or inspiration to the current 2030 generation," adding, "Citizens have the right to criticize and change that."

He continued, "The complex shopping mall was a very small but symbolic expression of rights that were deprived due to the logic and interests of local political bosses," and evaluated, "This discourse has already become a stronghold in the fight against Gwangju's cartelized local politics."

He emphasized, "Creating a foundation where people can have everyday experiences available in other regions without discrimination, just like the right to use tap water and city gas, is absolutely necessary."

By tapping into anti-Democratic Party sentiment and gaining sympathy for the attraction theory among the new support base such as the 2030 generation, he aims to seize the initiative in the June 1 local elections following the March 9 presidential election.

He expressed confidence, saying, "The moment we plant the flag in the presidential election, local politics will change," but also said, "We are not yet in a situation to field many candidates who can win Gwangju's choice in local or parliamentary elections."

Nevertheless, he appealed, "Please sound the alarm to the Democratic Party, which mistakenly believes it monopolizes Honam's votes after this presidential election," and "Break the traditional conservative prejudice that Gwangju will not change."

Regarding candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, he praised him as the right reformer for national unity, saying, "I witnessed with my own eyes how he broke the old political formulas, talking about Honam in Yeongnam and Yeongnam in Honam, and he received thunderous applause on site."

The Democratic Party, which has shown a reserved stance on attracting the complex shopping mall, will determine the shelf life of the neglect theory weapon wielded by the main opposition party depending on how it sets the agenda going forward.

Although the issue has topicality, there are various analyses about whether it will significantly affect Honam votes.

A Democratic Party official told this paper in a phone interview, "Since we have experienced a trial and error regarding the complex shopping mall once, the Democratic Party has more expertise in pushing forward this issue."

Attending the campaign were former party leader Lee Jung-hyun, former lawmaker Song Ki-seok, Kim Cheol-geun, the party leader's political affairs chief, and Gwak Seung-yong, youth aide.

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