Former Diplomat Ko Gwang-hee Draws Attention for Leading Double-Digit Vote Share in Honam Presidential Election

Real-Life Figure in the Movie 'Mogadishu'... Founding Member of the South Korean Embassy in Somalia

Full-Scale Campaign to Support Yoon Seok-yeol and Urge Joining the People Power Party in Honam, a Democratic Party Stronghold

Gwangju-Jeonnam

Ko Gwang-hee, former diplomat.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] In the early morning of the 10th, while the vote counting was in full swing after the 20th presidential election, Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung and People Power Party candidate Yoon Seok-yeol were neck and neck in a fierce contest.

About seven hours after the counting began, when a broadcasting station announced that candidate Yoon was the "likely winner," tears welled up in the eyes of a former diplomat.

Was it a sign of "It's over now"? He also sighed with relief.

This was Ko Gwang-hee, known as a real-life figure depicted in the movie Mogadishu, which tells the story of the joint escape of South and North Korean embassy staff during the 1991 Somali civil war. He was a founding member of the Korean Embassy in Somalia and served as a consul at the time.

Last May, at the recommendation of former Minister of Industry and Resources Yoon Jin-sik, former Consul Ko returned to his hometown in Honam and began efforts to "make Yoon Seok-yeol president."

Supporting a non-Democratic Party candidate, especially from a conservative party, in Honam, a Democratic Party stronghold, and openly declaring it was not easy. Sometimes he faced jeers and, at worst, verbal abuse.

Hailing from Jangseong, he initially started by contacting acquaintances to explain his position. Gradually, he expanded his efforts to encourage People Power Party membership.

From the primary to the general election, even without party membership, he pleaded for support for Yoon Seok-yeol and was even investigated by the election commission.

After the People Power Party primary ended and Yoon Seok-yeol became the candidate, he served as the Central Director of the Bright Future Committee under the Central Election Countermeasures Headquarters and as the Honam General Director, tirelessly visiting the challenging regions of Gwangju and 22 cities and counties in Jeonnam day and night to gauge grassroots voter sentiment.

He also accompanied supporters and loudly chanted "Yoon Seok-yeol" whenever the candidate visited Gwangju.

On the 16th of last month, he held a press conference for the support declaration of 8,500 members of the Honam Fair Citizens' Coalition, which united 30 civic groups from Gwangju and Jeonnam, and on the 2nd, he led a press conference for 60 organizations from Yeongnam and Honam.

This was not a simple support declaration but held great significance as it aimed to resolve regional animosities between Yeongnam and Honam and promote development in both regions through cross-visits to cities like Gwangju and Daegu, where 60 civic groups from Yeongnam and Honam formed the "Moonlight Alliance."

Former Consul Ko said, "I devoted everything with the conviction that the president who will develop the Republic of Korea with fairness and common sense and uphold constitutional values is 'Yoon Seok-yeol.' Although the vote share did not reach the pre-election polls, the conservative party recorded double-digit votes in Honam for the first time in a presidential election, laying the foundation to take root here, for which I am grateful to the local people."

He added, "I plan to elevate the joint support declaration of the Moonlight Alliance and will contribute even a small part to securing budgets for Honam's development."

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