Assemblyman Kim Ki-hyun's Daegu Departure Ceremony Today
Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo's Meeting with Park Chung-hee Spirit Succession Association
Former President Park Geun-hye's Birthday on the 2nd
[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Youngwon Kim] On the 1st, one day before the candidate registration day for the People Power Party's March 8 party leadership election, the party leadership candidates visited Daegu and Gyeongbuk (TK), the party's largest stronghold, to win over party members' support. Coincidentally, this visit comes just before former President Park Geun-hye's birthday on February 2. Attention is focused on where the traditional conservative voter base will lean.
On the afternoon of the same day, Representative Kim Ki-hyun will hold a "Daegu Departure Rally" at Seomun Market in Daegu. Following the "Capital Region Integrated Departure Rally" held in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province on January 28, he appears to be mobilizing support in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) region. On the same day, Representative Ahn Cheol-soo will also visit Daegu. In the morning, Ahn will hold consecutive meetings with party associations and members in Buk-gu and Seo-gu districts of Daegu. In the afternoon, he will also have a meeting with the "Park Chung-hee Spirit Succession Association."
Daegu, known as the "heart of conservatism," is the hometown of former President Park and a region where he was successfully elected four consecutive times. It is also where Park’s residence is located. Last year, conservative figures including the Park Chung-hee Presidential Foundation and the March 1 Spirit National Defense Movement Alliance launched the Park Chung-hee Spirit Succession Association in Daegu. Because of this, the visits by Representatives Kim and Ahn to Daegu are interpreted as efforts to draw support from the traditional conservative base that has supported the Park family, both Park Chung-hee and Park Geun-hye.
In particular, for Representative Ahn, whose party base remains weak after merging with the People Power Party last year, targeting the traditional conservative base is essential. Since former Representative Na Kyung-won announced she would not run in this party leadership election, Ahn’s approval ratings have surged in recent polls. Especially after Representative Yoo Seung-min declared he would not run the day before, there is speculation that the non-Yoon faction’s party support may shift toward Ahn. This also suggests that the votes of traditional conservative party members who supported President Yoon Seok-youl as the conservative presidential candidate could consolidate around Representative Kim, the pro-Yoon frontrunner.
However, there is also analysis that former President Park’s influence is not as strong as in previous years. During last year’s local elections, although Park publicly endorsed Yoo Young-ha, her former lawyer, who ran for Daegu mayor, Yoo lost in the party primary to candidate Hong Joon-pyo. Moreover, this party leadership election is unfolding as a confrontation between pro-Yoon and non-Yoon factions, with the presidential office even intervening, leading to concerns about an overheated atmosphere reminiscent of the 2014 Saenuri Party leadership election. That election, held before the 2016 20th general election, saw intense conflict between pro-Park and pro-Lee factions. At that time, President Park Geun-hye clashed with former Representative Yoo Seung-min, and the party was engulfed in internal strife with the emergence of a "true pro-Park candidate identifier," ultimately resulting in a crushing defeat in the 20th general election. Notably, neither Representative Kim nor Ahn’s schedules on this day include a visit to former President Park’s residence.
Meanwhile, it is reported that President Yoon Seok-youl sent a congratulatory flower arrangement to former President Park Geun-hye on the occasion of her 71st birthday yesterday. This is Park’s first birthday since moving into her residence in Dalseong, Daegu, last March, following her pardon in December 2021.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
