With the June 3 local elections a month away, leaders of the ruling and opposition parties will all visit the Yeongnam region on the 3rd to court voters in battleground areas.
Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, will visit Gupo Market in Buk-gu, Busan, on the morning of the day to listen to local sentiment and on-site difficulties ahead of the election. Gupo Market is in Buk-gu Gap, considered the biggest battleground in the National Assembly by-election being held alongside this local election. Jung plans to accompany Ha Jung-woo, the Buk Gap candidate, to stump in support.
Afterward, Jung will head to Changwon, South Gyeongsang, to attend the opening ceremony of the campaign office of Kim Kyeong-soo, the Democratic Party candidate for South Gyeongsang governor. He will then move to Jinju, South Gyeongsang, to meet residents at the 25th "Jinju Nongae Festival" to court public sentiment.
Jung's Yeongnam tour, which began on the 2nd, will continue for three days and two nights until the 4th in Busan and North Gyeongsang. It is seen as an attempt to seize momentum by concentrating support in Yeongnam, a traditional weak area for the Democratic Party.
Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, after attending the opening of Busan mayoral candidate Park Heong-joon's office the previous day, will visit the opening of Daegu mayoral candidate Choo Kyung-ho's office on the day to kick off a full-fledged consolidation in Yeongnam. Earlier, Park's office opening drew Jang, floor leader Song Eon-seog, honorary election committee chair Kim Moon-soo, and supporters.
The attendance by Jang and floor leader Song at the openings of local election candidates' offices reflects the People Power Party's sense of urgency to defend the Yeongnam region. In particular, with approval ratings fluctuating even in Daegu, a "conservative stronghold," the People Power Party plans to deploy its leadership to hold on to public sentiment.