(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Jae-ha and Choi Joo-seong = Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kim Min-seok, Jeong Cheong-rae, and Song Young-gil (in order of speeches) appealed for support by raising regional economic development as a topic at a joint speech held in Gyeonggi Province on the 16th.
Candidate Kim promised to resolve regional issues in Gyeonggi Province, including semiconductors, Candidate Chung emphasized unity and strong reform, and Candidate Song emphasized peace on the Korean Peninsula by emphasizing the characteristics of Gyeonggi Province, which is a border region.
Candidate Kim mentioned that Gyeonggi Province's three tasks on this day were "leading the future and the world with semiconductors, leading the reform of Korea and the world with reform policies such as basic income and local currency, and leading the normalization of the northern Gyeonggi border area," and said, "If I become party leader, I will fully support Gyeonggi Province and Governor Choo Mi-ae on this issue."
Candidate Kim promised, “If I become party leader, I will share the hardships of Gyeonggi Province’s financial pressures,” and added, “I will improve the biased system in which Gyeonggi Province creates infrastructure but only certain cities and counties receive the profits.”
Regarding the three mega projects being carried out in the Honam region, he said, "At first, it may seem like it will save the provinces rather than the metropolitan area, but in the end, it will also save Gyeonggi-do, which started the semiconductor industry. We will take care to ensure that Gyeonggi-do's semiconductor locomotives, which are already running, are not delayed."
He also emphasized, “Kim Min-seok and the new Democratic Party will open an era in which abnormalities in the northern Gyeonggi border area are normalized,” and “We will risk the fate of the party and the government to overcome this and open the ‘K-Golden Era.’”
Candidate Chung first expressed his gratitude for losing to Candidate Kim by a large margin in the Honam region the day before, saying, "Farmers do not blame the fields," and "I will use the tears of my comrades as straw shoes to move forward."
Candidate Chung particularly set unity and reform as his main tasks. He said, "We won when we were united, and we lost when we were divided. The Democratic Party's identity is reform, and when we reformed, we won. When we failed to reform, we were ignored."
He also promised, “We will urgently prepare supply measures to stabilize the real estate market in the metropolitan area and normalize it starting with LH,” and “We will make sure that the semiconductor cluster in the Honam area succeeds with driving force, breakthrough power, and speed.”
Candidate Song emphasized the characteristics of Gyeonggi Province, which is a border area, and said he would strive for peace in inter-Korean relations.
Candidate Song said, “No matter how much we develop the economy and create an AI powerhouse, what will happen if inter-Korean relations falter?” He added, “With Song Young-gil’s passionate passion for overcoming national division, I will work with President Lee Jae-myung to play the role that Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in were unable to fulfill.”
He added, "I will become a leader in changing the Cold War issue on the Korean Peninsula by making the North Korea-US summit a success," and added, "I ask for your vote for HBM Song Young-gil, who will work with President Lee Jae-myung to create a peace structure on the Korean Peninsula with burning passion and will."
Candidates for the Supreme Council continued their war of nerves between factions on this day.
Park Seon-won, a pro-Myung (pro-Lee Jae-myung) candidate, said, “Despite the myth of undefeated consecutive wins in the 2024 general election and 2025 presidential election, the old leadership is making us dangerous and unstable,” and candidate Seo Mi-hwa emphasized, “The Democratic Party leadership must be a quick and capable leader who can figure out what the government is trying to do just by looking at their eyes.”
On the other hand, Candidate Han Min-soo, a pro-Qing Party member, targeted Candidate Kim Min-seok and appealed, "Please judge those who advocate anti-myeongdom, divisionism, and Shincheonji."
Candidate Choi Min-hee said, “Candidate Chung Cheong-rae, who took the lead more than anyone else in making President Lee Jae-myung, was branded as anti-President at some point,” and asked, “Is this the duty of comrades in the same party?”
