Ahead of the Democratic Party’s primary election in the Honam region this weekend, the presidential candidates have all visited the Honam area. Historically, the Honam region has been known for its unpredictability in Democratic Party primaries, prompting candidates to focus heavily on winning the public’s favor.
Reporter Han So-hee covered the story.
Democratic presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung visited the Honam region for a two-day trip. At a renewable energy forum in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, he promised to establish an industrial complex dedicated to using 100% renewable energy, known as the ‘RE100.’
Regarding nuclear power, he distanced himself from the Moon Jae-in administration’s ‘nuclear phase-out’ policy, stating:
[Lee Jae-myung/Democratic Presidential Candidate: Since the necessity of electricity supply and its potential risks coexist, it seems difficult to choose one side outright.]
In Jeonil Building, a symbol of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, still bearing bullet marks, he met with the mother of martyr Moon Jae-hak, the real-life model for the character in author Han Kang’s novel “Human Acts.”
Candidate Kim Kyung-soo also toured Honam areas including Mokpo and Suncheon, focusing on garnering public support.
[Kim Kyung-soo/Democratic Presidential Candidate: In the next government, our region’s development will not have to rely solely on the President or central government ministers….]
Candidate Kim Dong-yeon proposed turning Honam into a hub for renewable energy by promising to establish the so-called ‘West Coast RE100 Line.’
[Kim Dong-yeon/Democratic Presidential Candidate: We will create the West Coast RE100 Line from the southern coast of Jeollanam-do to the coast reaching Gyeonggi-do.]
There are about 370,000 Democratic Party rights party members in the Honam region.
They make up more than 30% of the total.
This number is greater than the combined total from the previously completed Chungcheong and Yeongnam primaries.
In the 2021 primary, candidate Lee Jae-myung was defeated only once by candidate Lee Nak-yon in this region, and on the 2nd of the month, the Cho Kook Innovation Party candidate defeated the Democratic Party candidate in the Damyang County re-election.
All attention is on how many votes the leading candidate, Lee, will secure in the unpredictable Honam primary on the 26th.
(Video coverage: Gong Jin-gu, Video editing: Nam Il)