Seeking a Last-Minute Turnaround in the Conservative Stronghold of Yeongnam
"We Have No Choice but to Focus More on Yeongnam for a 'Winning Campaign'"
On May 28, the day before early voting for the 21st presidential election, Kim Moonsoo, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, will visit the Busan-Gyeongnam (PK) and Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) regions to appeal for support. Amid difficulties caused by the conservative candidate unification process and internal divisions within the People Power Party, his strategy is to target the conservative stronghold of the Yeongnam region and rally his base for a final show of support.
Kim's first event of the day began at 9:50 a.m. with a visit to the National 3·15 Democratic Cemetery in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. He will then campaign in Changwon and Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province. In the afternoon, he will hold a rally in front of the Judis Taehwa Department Store in Seomyeon, Busan. After that, he will campaign in front of Emart in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, and meet voters at the public market in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province. In Gyeongsan, he will also communicate with students from Yeungnam University. He plans to wrap up the day with a street campaign in Dongseongno, Daegu, after passing through his hometown of Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. In a briefing, Shin Dongwook, spokesperson for the People Power Party's election campaign headquarters, said, "The atmosphere in the Yeongnam region is stabilizing to some extent," and added, "If the mood in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam solidifies, the upward momentum over the next six days will be significant."
The campaign in Jeju Island has been postponed to June 2. Kim had originally planned to visit the Jeju 4·3 Peace Park at 9 a.m. on this day, followed by a campaign event at Tamna Culture Square in front of Jeju Dongmun Market. Instead, Kim is expected to launch a nationwide campaign tour on June 2, the final day of official campaigning, starting in Jeju and traveling up to Seoul.
Kim's repeated visits to the Yeongnam region on this day reflect the urgent need to consolidate conservative support. The unification with Lee Junseok, the candidate of the Reform New Party, has become virtually impossible. Additionally, internal factional conflict within the party has intensified due to the issue of appointing lawmaker Yoon Sanghyun as joint campaign chairperson in the final stage of the election.
A campaign official explained, "Our support is being underestimated in regions where we should be performing strongly, so to run a 'winning campaign,' we have no choice but to focus more on the Yeongnam region," and added, "Strategically, we need to compete in both the Yeongnam region and the Seoul metropolitan area, where there are many voters."
Former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo, who had remained out of the public eye following the unification controversy, has also stepped in to provide support. In a post on social media, Han stated, "The Republic of Korea now stands at a crossroads: will we remain where we are, or move forward? With my support for candidate Kim, I plan to go to a nearby polling station early tomorrow morning."
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