Park Chandae: "Honam Is the Heart of the Democratic Party... Will Ensure Success of the Lee Administration Together"

Announcement of Candidacy at Gwangju City Council on the 7th... "One Team for the Success of the Lee Administration"
Pledges Include Enshrining the May 18 Spirit, Fostering AI, and Establishing a New Medical School
"Honam Party Members Make Up 35%... Emphasizing Talent Utilization and Fair Nominations"
On the Rebuilding Korea Innovation Party: "Competition and Cooperation... The Democratic Camp Must Move Forward Together"

Park Chandae, a member of the National Assembly running for the Democratic Party leadership, stated, "Honam is the heart, father, and teacher of the Democratic Party," adding, "I will achieve the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration and the Democratic Party's leap forward together with the people of Honam." Park is currently spending a week in Honam, meeting with local council members, young party members, and others.

Park Chandae, the Democratic Party candidate for party leader, is speaking at the "Honam Asks, Park Chandae Answers" event held at the Gwangju Metropolitan Council press conference room on the morning of the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News

On the morning of the previous day, Park held a press conference titled "Honam Asks, Park Chandae Answers" at the Gwangju City Council briefing room, where he explained the background and vision for his candidacy. About 30 supporters attended the event, including National Assembly members Yang Bunam, Jung Jinwook, Park Gyuntaek, Jung Junho, and Kim Sangwook, as well as Gwangju City Council members Chae Eunji, Lee Myeongno, Park Mijeong, and Seo Imseok.

Park said, "Honam has disciplined the Democratic Party when it became complacent and has been a guiding light when the party lost its way. Now, with President Lee Jaemyung, the Democratic Party has become the ruling party, and we must move toward success together with Honam." He also remarked, "At this honeymoon stage, the party and government must support each other and deliver tangible results to the people."

Park presented his regional pledges, stating, "Gwangju needs to enshrine the spirit of the 5·18 Democratization Movement in the Constitution, foster the AI national industry, underground urban railways, connect metropolitan railway networks, and relocate the military airport." He continued, "Jeonnam needs to establish a new national medical school, address the public healthcare gap, and develop as a hub for future energy industries such as offshore wind power and agrivoltaics."

Park also announced that if elected as party leader, he would immediately launch a "Local Election Planning Task Force." He said, "The local elections are the first test for the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration. In Honam, where the primary is essentially the main race, having predictable nomination rules is especially important." He added, "I will create rules that give opportunities to newcomers and evaluate the contributions of incumbent politicians."

Regarding relations with the Rebuilding Korea Innovation Party, Park defined them as "allies who worked together on the special prosecutor bill and impeachment motion," but also stated, "In local elections, we must both cooperate and compete. Based on our experience of cooperation in by-elections, we will seek ways for mutual collaboration."

On the issue of appointing talent from Honam, Park said, "Since seven out of eight Gwangju National Assembly members are first-term, there have been shortcomings in considering seniority when allocating party positions. However, as only a month has passed, there is still ample time to select and nurture talent from Honam." He continued, "Of the total 1.12 million dues-paying party members, 370,000 are from Honam. In line with the president's belief that special contributions deserve special rewards, Honam must be properly recognized."

Regarding the equal value of votes between dues-paying party members and delegates, Park explained, "Currently, one delegate's vote is worth less than 20 votes from dues-paying members. While the goal is to eventually achieve a one-to-one ratio, the key issue is the pace of this change."

Park emphasized, "Right now, the party leadership is the most important. The Democratic Party must do everything it can to form a united front with the government and ensure the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration."

Immediately after the press conference, the Gwangju-Jeonnam branch of the National Conference for People's Sovereignty, led by Jung Jinwook, declared its support for Park Chandae. Seo Daeseok, former mayor of Gwangju Seo-gu, and Lee Byeongseok, former vice minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, gave speeches as representative supporters.

The Democratic Party will hold joint campaign rallies, starting in the Chungcheong region on the 19th, followed by Yeongnam on the 20th, Honam on the 26th, and the Seoul metropolitan area on the 27th. The next party leader will be elected on the 2nd of next month at KINTEX in Goyang, with voting weighted as follows: 15% by delegates, 55% by dues-paying party members, and 30% by public opinion polls.