Gwangju District Min Hyung-bae Leads as Top Candidate with 27.77%
Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, maintained his overwhelming first-place position in Gwangju as well.
At the Democratic Party's next leadership election 8·18 National Party Members' Convention Gwangju regional primary held on the 4th at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Seo-gu, Gwangju, Lee Jae-myung recorded 83.61% (21,767 votes), solidifying the “Eodaemyeong” (Anyway, the leader is Lee Jae-myung) and “Hwakdaemyeong” (Definitely, the leader is Lee Jae-myung) dynamics. His competitor, candidate Kim Doo-kwan, received 14.56% (3,791 votes), and candidate Kim Ji-soo received 1.82% (475 votes) of the vote share.
The total number of eligible party members in the Gwangju region was 102,915, with 26,033 participating in this primary, resulting in a voter turnout of 25.29%.
Candidate Lee said, "Gwangju transformed factory worker Lee Jae-myung, who was almost like Ilgan Best Storage (Ilbe), into a citizen of the Republic of Korea who values democracy," adding, "Ultimately, you all have nurtured (Lee Jae-myung) as a central figure of this country and as the leader of the Democratic Party."
He continued, "A new civilization symbolized by super-science technology, represented by artificial intelligence, awaits us," emphasizing, "A universal basic society where the state is responsible for the fundamental living conditions of the people is our future."
He also said, "Another future we must prepare for is a renewable energy society," adding, "If we lay down energy highways so that electricity can be produced and sold in neighborhoods anywhere along the coast, people who moved to Seoul will return to this region, where it is good to live and make a living."
Candidate Kim Doo-kwan directly criticized Lee’s pledges and took a firm stance.
He stated, "Our Democratic Party is a party for the middle class and ordinary people; it is not simply about easing comprehensive real estate taxes or postponing financial investment taxes," and added, "Since neoliberalism, how much polarization and inequality have increased, and how much the gap between the metropolitan area and non-metropolitan areas, and between local and central regions, has widened."
Furthermore, he said, "Why should our Democratic Party care about those (the wealthy) who are already being taken care of by Han Dong-hoon, the People Power Party leader, and by Yongsan?" and emphasized, "What we need to care about are the underdeveloped regions and the socially and economically vulnerable."
He added, "If I become party leader, I will nurture many next presidential candidates, including candidate Lee," and said, "Many people such as former Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok from Jangheung, Jeonnam, former lawmaker Park Yong-jin from Jangsu, Jeonbuk, former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo, lawmaker Jung Dong-young, and former lawmaker Lee Tan-hee should compete and debate to create competitive candidates."
Candidate Kim Ji-soo began by saying, "I stand here with a heavy heart." He continued, "As a Democratic Party presidential candidate and as young Kim Ji-soo, I will prepare for the future ahead," emphasizing, "I will protect the democracy that our seniors defended and won, and protect the Republic of Korea."
Meanwhile, in the supreme council member vote, which selects five members, Min Hyung-bae, who represents Gwangju as his electoral district, took first place for the first time with 14,458 votes (27.77%), making a strong advance. Following him were candidates Kim Min-seok (9,071 votes, 17.42%), Han Jun-ho (6,074 votes, 11.67%), Jung Bong-ju (6,031 votes, 11.58%), Jeon Hyun-hee (5,587 votes, 10.73%), Lee Eon-ju (4,705 votes, 9.04%), Kim Byung-joo (4,329 votes, 8.31%), and Kang Sun-woo (1,811 votes, 3.48%) in that order.
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