Kim Ki-hyun Chooses Honam for First Schedule, Offers "Deep Apology" at 5·18 Memorial Site

Visit to Gwangju Global Motors: "Economic Support and Budget Priority Considered"
Jeonnam Provincial Party: "We Will Strive to Become the Central Party"
Also Stated This Schedule Is Unrelated to the 'Yeongnam Party' Label

Kim Ki-hyun, Acting Floor Leader of the People Power Party, and the leadership are visiting the 5.18 Democratic Cemetery to pay their respects on the 7th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The leadership of the People Power Party began efforts to win over public sentiment in Honam by visiting Gwangju on the 7th. This was the first regional visit since Kim Gi-hyeon assumed the role of acting party leader and floor leader, interpreted as a strategic move to shed the "Yeongnam Party" label and expand toward the center. The People Power Party delegation started with a visit to the Gwangju National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery, followed by a visit to Gwangju Global Motors to hear about the factory status and review the first win-win job model. In the afternoon, they attended the opening ceremony of the Jeonnam Provincial Party Office.

On the morning of the visit to the 5·18 Democratic Cemetery, Acting Leader Kim paid his respects with a solemn expression. It is said that his eyes welled up while listening to the explanation of the incident at the time. After the visit, Acting Leader Kim told reporters, "I was a third-year university student in 1987, a time when we were actively resisting the military dictatorship and authoritarian regime," adding, "As I also participated in the democratization movement as a student, I felt the pain and suffering again on site as a comrade." He also said, "I offer my deepest apologies to the bereaved families who suffered and to all those who were injured or lost their lives."

At Gwangju Global Motors, Acting Leader Kim met with Jo In-cheol, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Gwangju, and discussed job policies. This company was created through collaboration among local governments, Hyundai Motor Company, and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions to serve as a win-win development model for the Gwangju-Jeonnam region to revitalize the local economy. Acting Leader Kim said, "When I was mayor of Ulsan, I thought opposing this was too much localism," adding, "I believed that a win-win model between local governments and companies, and between labor and management, combining various innovative ideas, should not be overly concentrated in one region." He also said, "When we visit the Gwangju-Jeonnam region, we approach it as a sacred place of democratization, but I think it is a region that deserves economic support, budget, and policy priority."

Kim Ki-hyun, Acting Floor Leader of the People Power Party, is touching a tombstone at the burial site of the missing persons in the National 5.18 Democratic Cemetery on the 7th.

At the opening ceremony of the Jeonnam Provincial Party Office, Acting Leader Kim emphasized, "We must have the determination that without Honam, there is no People Power Party," adding, "We will make efforts to become a central party so that the people of Jeonnam can proudly promote the People Power Party and be in a position to speak loudly. I want to clearly express this determination."

After finishing the day's schedule, Acting Leader Kim told reporters, "This is the first time I have heard the term 'Road Yeongnam Party,'" and drew a line by saying, "Our party aims to be a national party and does not aim to be a Yeongnam Party." He also stated that this visit to Gwangju "has nothing to do with that term."