Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited "PK (Busan, Ulsan, South Gyeongsang)." As South Gyeongsang is a battleground where Democratic Party candidate Kim Kyeong-soo and incumbent South Gyeongsang Gov. Park Wan-su of the People Power Party are engaging in a so-called showdown between a former and a sitting officeholder, he moved to provide support for the local elections.
On the afternoon of the 21st, leader Jung visited Donghang-ri, Yokji-myeon, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang, to experience a field site for sweet potato cultivation affecting livelihoods. Joining the on-site experience were Supreme Council members Lee Seong-yoon, Moon Jeong-bok, Park Ji-won, and Park Kyu-hwan from the Democratic Party, as well as Chief Spokesperson Kang Joon-hyun, Deputy Head of Organization Kwon Hyang-yeop, and Spokesperson Kim Nam-kuk.
On this day, Jung wore a black hiking outfit instead of a suit and personally set out to plant sweet potatoes. The Democratic Party leadership's sweet potato planting experience lasted about an hour. They learned from the field owner how to plant sweet potatoes and kept time to the tune of a song by the head of the Yokji-do residents' self-governing committee in Tongyeong.
It was about a month since Jung last visited South Gyeongsang on Mar. 23, when he visited Yangsan, South Gyeongsang. In the meantime, he visited Busan on the 15th and Ulsan on the 18th. With the Democratic Party strongly determined to win back PK in the June 3 local elections, it is focusing its efforts. Among PK, South Gyeongsang is emerging as the biggest battleground, with former Gov. Kim Kyeong-soo facing off against incumbent Gov. Park Wan-su.
After finishing the sweet potato cultivation experience, Jung met with reporters and said, "When I analyzed the South Gyeongsang race, it seemed that the Democratic Party is slightly ahead overall," adding, "So among Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang, I consider South Gyeongsang the area where the Democratic Party should focus the most."
He added, "I understand that South Gyeongsang has a somewhat larger bloc of unaffiliated voters than other regions," and said, "I came to the island today to stir up a blue wind starting from Yokji-do, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang. I will do my best until South Gyeongsang is colored by the blue wind."
After finishing the sweet potato experience, he held a "roundtable to improve living conditions for island residents" with Yokji-do residents. The roundtable proceeded in a friendly atmosphere, with Yokji-do residents saying to Jung, "You had a hard time coming from so far away." Afterward, he visited a rockfish farm on Yokji-do for another livelihood-focused field visit.
Jung said, "I heard Yokji-do once had a population of 14,000, but now it is 2,000," adding, "The inconveniences of living in a city and living in the countryside are very different. We will address what can be solved so people can live a decent human life all the same."