D-54 Days, Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Seok-yeol Head to Regions Side by Side... Weekend Battle for Votes Intensifies

[Asia Economy Reporters Koo Chae-eun and Park Joon-yi] With the presidential election just 54 days away, candidates Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Seok-youl will begin expanding their outreach and solidifying their support bases by appealing to weekend voters starting on the 14th. Candidate Lee plans to tour Incheon and Gangwon regions to listen to public sentiment and share his vision for peace. Candidate Yoon will visit the PK (Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam) region to defend his recently wavering "core supporters."

Lee’s visit to Incheon on the 14th is a one-day schedule, while his Gangwon visit will span two days and one night. He will visit the Incheon Free Economic Zone and hold a meeting with resident companies to explore support measures for attracting overseas capital and technology. He will also meet researchers from advanced companies in fields such as bio and robotics. This move is interpreted as an effort to reinforce his pro-business image, which he has cultivated through statements like "I will rationalize regulations" and "It is difficult to apply the Serious Accident Punishment Act."

On the 15th, he will move to Gangwon Province to meet with the presidents of 18 city and county prosperity associations to hear various opinions on regional development. His schedule also includes visits to Chuncheon Dakgalbi Alley, a winery in Hongcheon, and a talk concert in Inje. On the 16th, he will visit the Goseong Unification Observatory. At this event, he is expected to criticize Candidate Yoon’s remarks on “preemptive strikes” as an effective response to North Korea’s missile provocations and to present his vision for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

Candidate Yoon will visit the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam regions over two days, the 14th and 15th. This PK visit comes about a month after his "Ulsan meeting" with Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, in December last year. Although regional schedules were delayed due to internal party conflicts, the visit aims to secure votes in the PK region, a representative "swing voter" area. Recent polls have shown Yoon trailing behind Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, in PK support.

Starting in Changwon, Gyeongnam, Yoon will visit Busan and Ulsan, focusing on the keywords "democracy" and "fair economy." On the first day, the 14th, he is expected to strengthen his determination for regime change by paying respects at the National 3.15 Democracy Cemetery, and on the 15th, at the Busan Memorial Tower for Fallen Sailors. As part of his economic agenda, he will hold a meeting with the Bongam Industrial Complex Business Association, a representative industrial complex in Changwon, to propose alternatives for regional economic and industrial revival. On the 15th, he will also attend the Busan New Maritime Power Vision Declaration Ceremony and plan to communicate with citizens by riding the Donghae Line metropolitan railway.