Opposition Party Leader Candidates Heading to Jeju... "We Will Resolve the 4·3 Incident and Gimpo Airport Relocation Issues"

Appeal for Support from Jeju Party Members in Policy Presentation
Lee Jae-myung "Resolve 4·3 Issue", Kang Hoon-sik "Relocate Gimpo Airport"
Park Yong-jin "Continue the Achievements of Kim, Roh, and Moon"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidates continued their tour speeches in Jeju Island on August 28 in preparation for the party convention. On this day, the candidates appealed for the support of party members in the Jeju region by mentioning unresolved issues such as compensation for victims of the April 3 Incident and the relocation of Gimpo Airport.

On the 7th, the Democratic Party presidential candidates presented their platforms at a 'Joint Candidates Speech Meeting' held at a hotel in Jeju City. The first speaker, candidate Lee Jae-myung, said, "In this presidential election, the people of Jeju Island gave the Democratic Party unprecedented support," adding, "We will remember the hope entrusted to the Democratic Party for Jeju's provincial government after 20 years." He also stated, "I will take full responsibility for ensuring the Democratic Party's nationwide party status to win the next general and presidential elections," and "I will expand Jeju's victory into a nationwide victory."

He further declared, "I will lead the complete resolution of the April 3 Incident, following the paths of former Presidents Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in." He also promised to develop Jeju into a special autonomous province leading the future of the Republic of Korea.

Candidate Kang Hoon-sik emphasized that he is the only non-metropolitan candidate and mentioned the Gimpo Airport relocation issue. He said, "The Gimpo Airport relocation issue will not be confined to mainland-centric thinking or decision-making centered on the Seoul metropolitan area," and "I am the only candidate who can speak about Gimpo Airport from Jeju's perspective."

Along with this, he pledged to create a young ruling party. Candidate Kang said, "A young ruling party is a Democratic Party that clearly shows where it stands, with whom it works, and for what purpose," adding, "I will change the Democratic Party into a useful politics for my life, a progressive party that keeps principles and values while understanding realities."

Candidate Park Yong-jin, instead of making remarks related to Jeju, mentioned the achievements of former Presidents Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in. Park said, "Former President Kim's People's Government increased the number of livelihood protection beneficiaries from 380,000 to 1.5 million and created the National Livelihood Security Act, tripling support. Former President Roh's Participatory Government's Vision 2030 is our social integration vision that has continued to this day," and added, "We must work harder to inherit these Democratic Party-like achievements."

He also reiterated responsibility for candidate Lee's election defeat. He questioned, "Why is there no reflection or apology in the face of the election defeat, despite the campaign promise to lead a majority victory in the local elections?" and "Why is there no explanation from candidate Lee?"

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