100 Days in Office Kim Gi-hyeon... "Let's Go West"

Kim Gi-hyeon Prepares Honam Jobs and Budget Ahead of 100 Days in Office
Party Turmoil Settled, Full-Scale General Election Preparation Underway
Internal Criticism on Agenda-Setting Ability and More

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, who is approaching his 100th day in office, visited Honam on the 14th. Showing efforts to secure budgets and jobs for Honam, he appears to be making a full-fledged start in preparing for the general election by advancing the party’s presence in the region. There is a clear intention to embark on a substantive livelihood-focused campaign after the party system was reorganized with the election of Kim Garam as a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party.

On the same day, Kim visited the Kia Motors factory in Gwangju and then consecutively held regional livelihood budget policy meetings in Jeollabuk-do, Jeollanam-do, and Gwangju Metropolitan City. Through the visit to Kia Motors, the schedule aims to both secure jobs in Honam and demonstrate a commitment not to neglect Honam in next year’s budget. Kim Minsu, spokesperson for the People Power Party, explained regarding this Honam visit, "It is part of sincere and continuous interest in national integration and the Honam region," adding, "It is an effort to overcome regional conflicts and become a party for all citizens."

At the Kia Motors factory visit, Kim said, "Until now, when I visited Gwangju or Jeonbuk and Jeonnam, I focused more on sites related to Gwangju’s democratization rather than economic sites. What our current local areas need is, of course, the inheritance of the democratic spirit, but more importantly and urgently, the issue of livelihood," adding, "The People Power Party will not only talk about balanced regional development but will also support and strive to ensure that the sweat of workers in the automobile industry and on the front lines does not go to waste."

At the event, Cheon Haram, chairman of the People Power Party’s Suncheon Gap district committee, who had competed against Kim in the party leadership race, was also present. Chairman Cheon said, "As a local district committee chairman, it is natural to accompany the party leader and leadership on visits," and evaluated, "It is very desirable and meaningful that Kim, who is approaching his 100th day in office, visits Gwangju, which can be considered a weak area, and secures budgets for Gwangju and Jeonnam."

After visiting the Kia Motors factory, Chairman Kim said, "Taking care of the Honam region means not only inheriting the spirit of democratization but also not neglecting economic issues," adding, "The party will also pay attention and work to attract many companies to the Honam region."

The People Power Party has been pursuing a ‘Seojin’ (westward advance) policy under the name of expanding its support base beyond the Yeongnam region to Honam. While the party had been struggling with internal conflicts such as those caused by Supreme Council members Kim Jaewon and Tae Young-ho, it appeared to be preoccupied with managing internal disputes rather than preparing for the general election. With the recent by-election resulting in the election of Kim, a 40-year-old Supreme Council member from Honam, the party’s lineup has been reorganized, and it has now embarked on a full-fledged general election campaign.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 15th, coinciding with his 100th day in office, Kim plans to introduce the party’s operational direction in earnest. While the past 100 days were turbulent due to controversies, he intends to show a stable system from now on. The Honam schedule is also seen as part of this confidence. Kim is expected to reveal how the party will be reorganized and prepared for the general election through messages to the public.

In fact, Kim launched a Special Committee for Organizational Strengthening on the 8th and began reorganizing the party structure. There had been continuous criticism of Kim’s leadership both inside and outside the party. After Kim’s inauguration, controversies involving former Supreme Council members Tae Young-ho and Kim Jaewon dealt a severe blow to his leadership. However, after the disciplinary actions against these council members, Kim is regarded as having regained stability.

Nevertheless, criticism that Kim’s strategy is insufficient ahead of next year’s general election remains a challenge. Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu, pointed out the general election preparation situation on social media the day before, saying, "I am worried about how the general election will be conducted when there is not even a regional key figure to lead it," and added, "I am very concerned about what the party leadership is doing." Mayor Hong said, "We should compete with the big theme of the new government’s future, but the leadership’s daily tedious debates are just useless arguments trapped in factionalism in the current state of South Korea," urging, "Form the election committee quickly." Seobyeong-su, a People Power Party lawmaker, also recently criticized on social media, saying, "The most powerless group in South Korea is the People Power Party, and the most idle group is also the People Power Party," and harshly commented, "As the ruling party, have we ever produced any agenda? The only news we have made is about Kim Jaewon and Tae Young-ho."

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