Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, visited the 'TK (Daegu and Gyeongbuk)' region over the last weekend of the election campaign to appeal for support. The Democratic Party has set a goal of achieving a 30% vote share in TK and is making a last-minute effort to capture voter sentiment. He emphasized that the 21st presidential election should judge the 12·3 martial law and achieve national unity.
At a campaign rally in front of Dongdaegu Station on the 1st in the afternoon, he said, "The president is not a king we elect to worship," and, "A politician is merely a worker or an agent elected to get things done." He returned to Daegu for campaigning for the first time in 19 days since the 13th of last month.
He visited his hometown of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, in the morning and Daegu in the afternoon. In TK, he reiterated the emphasis on 'national unity' that has been highlighted in the Yeongnam region. The rally in Andong was attended by about 1,500 people, according to police estimates, while the afternoon rally in Daegu drew a crowd of 2,000.
He noted, "There are people who divide along gender, age, region, ideology, and values. They are simply incompetent." He added, "If you are capable and skilled, you can be recognized by the people. Why would you create divisions?"
He further stated, "What is more important than ideology or values is the issue of making a living. What does it matter whether it's a Kim Dae-jung policy or a Park Chung-hee policy?" He emphasized, "If it is useful, we will use it; if it is not useful, we will discard it. We do not engage in left or right politics. We are all about capabilities."
He revealed his plan to develop Daegu through balanced regional development. He mentioned the recent slowdown in economic growth in the Daegu area and promised to break away from the concentration policies of the capital region and large corporations. Considering the strong conservative nature of the region, he also emphasized the need to secure a strong deterrent against North Korea based on the Korea-U.S. alliance.
He remarked, "The economy of Daegu is struggling, and local economies are facing difficulties. Has the People Power Party government, which has been in power in Daegu, done anything particularly good to ensure that we live better?" He continued, "This is not the voice of Lee Jae-myung, the 'red,' but to achieve sustained economic growth, we must engage in inclusive growth that fairly distributes opportunities and results."
He stated, "We will create a peaceful country where we do not have to worry about security, while dialoguing and communicating with North Korea through robust security," and added, "Let's minimize geopolitical risks so that foreign investors trust and invest, revitalizing the economy."
The reason Lee Jae-myung visited TK over the final weekend is to secure an overwhelming victory in the 21st presidential election. Within the Democratic Party, there is great hope for the first 'Democratic Party president from TK,' which has led to a significant focus on campaigns in the Yeongnam region. The Democratic Party's target vote share in TK is reported to be in the 30% range.
After finishing his rally in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, in the morning, he met with reporters and said, "The Yeongnam region has a very special significance from the Democratic Party's perspective, and securing even a little more support in Yeongnam is very important, which is why we are focusing efforts there," and emphasized, "This election occurred because of civil unrest, and it is a process of overcoming that unrest."