As the official campaigning period for the June 3 presidential election hits its halfway point, the People Power Party's Central Election Countermeasure Committee stated that the support rate for presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo is on the rise and expressed the intention to focus on efforts for unification with Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok.
On the 23rd, Deputy Minister Yoon Jae-ok of the People Power Party's election committee noted during a meeting at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, that "the people's sentiments across the nation are stirring, and a clear change is being detected in the polls," and he expressed optimism that a golden cross could be realized before early voting.
Deputy Minister Yoon stated, "The election committee has been conducting a campaign to gradually win over voters with a goal of increasing the support rate by 1% each day," and evaluated, "As a result, the gap in support rates from the early stages of the election has been significantly narrowed, and we are currently in a situation where we can lay the groundwork to turn the tide."
He said, "Due to the peculiarities of an early presidential election and the internal situation within the party, our start was somewhat late. However, as the excellent character and sincerity of candidate Kim Moon-soo, along with consensus on policies, are increasing, an upward trend is beginning to emerge," adding, "In contrast, candidate Lee Jae-myung's irresponsible and unsettling remarks on people's livelihoods and the economy, such as 'coffee costs 120 won' and 'hotel economy theory,' are disappointing the public."
He then declared his commitment, saying, "We will surely overturn the situation through solidifying our support base and expanding the moderate voter segment until the end."
Deputy Minister Yoon stated regarding future election strategies, "Rather than fixating on unification, I will place more emphasis on increasing the candidate's support rate through 'self-reliance' in our campaign." He added, "We will continue efforts for unification, but to become what is called a 'winning big tent,' the support rates of candidates must increase further. Therefore, we need to narrow the gap in support rates with candidate Lee Jae-myung so that merging with candidate Lee Jun-seok creates a situation where we can win, enabling smoother negotiations for unification."
Meanwhile, the election committee announced plans for a concentrated campaign this weekend. Deputy Minister Yoon stated, "The candidate will travel to local areas, and the co-chairpersons will all go out nationwide to campaign for votes," adding, "Since our start was delayed and we couldn't cover some areas, sectors, and regions, we will divide responsibilities to make sure we can manage that." He continued, "In particular, the Gyeonggi Province region is seen as a strategic area for votes, as the candidate served as governor for eight years and was an MP three times, thus we are establishing special attention and measures for Gyeonggi Province."
Candidate Kim plans to visit Chungbuk Danyang and Gyeongbuk Yeongju, Andong, Sangju, Gimcheon, Gumi, and Chilgok-gun on the 24th, and start on the 25th with a visit to the birthplace of former First Lady Yuk Young-soo in Okcheon, followed by appeals for support across Chungnam Nonsan, Gongju, Boryung, Hongseong, Seosan, Dangjin, and Asan, as well as Gyeongbuk and Chungcheong regions.