The ruling and opposition leadership will move to rally their bases on the 23rd, the first weekend since the official start of the campaign. Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, will attend the 17th memorial service for former President Roh Moo-hyun, to be held with solemnity in Bongha Village. Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, will visit the Chungcheong region, which is his constituency, and Honam, considered a "tough battleground," in succession to appeal to local voters.
According to political circles, the 17th memorial service for the late president will be held at 2 p.m. on this day in Bongha Village, Jinyeong-eup, Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, under the slogan "Democracy in my life, from the square to the village." Family members including Kwon Yang-sook, former President Moon Jae-in, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok are scheduled to attend the service.
From the broader pro-liberal camp, Jung Chung-rae as party leader, Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, and Han Chang-min, leader of The Social Democratic Party of Korea, will be present in their capacities as party heads. In effect, major figures from the broader pro-liberal camp will converge on the memorial service.
In Bongha Village, where the memorial service is scheduled, citizens who visited from across the country, including Busan, Gimhae and Gwangju, also paid their respects at the gravesite on the previous day (the 21st), forming a stream of mourners, and yellow ribbons and pinwheels symbolizing the late president were hung throughout the village, deepening the atmosphere of mourning.
Political circles are watching to see whether Jung's visit will lead to consolidation of the traditional base. Not only in South Gyeongsang, Roh's hometown, but also in Busan, where he called for breaking down regionalism during his lifetime, key battles are emerging for the June 3 local elections and by- and re-elections.
From the opposition camp, leader Jang Dong-hyeok will, after visiting South Chungcheong—home to his constituency—again two days after the 21st, move to Jeonju, North Jeolla, to greet people on the streets of Hanok Village and campaign.
In the morning, Jang will hold an intensive campaign in Boryeong, South Chungcheong, greet people at Jungang Market, then conduct intensive campaigning in Seocheon and visit Janghang Traditional Market in sequence. In the afternoon, after greeting people and campaigning in Jeonju Hanok Village, he will move to Daejeon to hold a press conference condemning Daejeon MBC over the "complete editing out of Kim Tae-heum's opening remarks in the South Chungcheong governor TV debate."
Jang's visit to South Chungcheong is seen as an effort to firm up support in the Chungcheong region while keeping the ruling party's candidate in check. His subsequent schedule in Jeonju appears aimed at exploiting cracks in the pro-liberal vote caused by independent candidate Kim Kwan-young's run for North Jeolla governor. It also carries a message targeting Honam-origin residents living in the Seoul metropolitan area and centrist voters.
The People Power Party is intensifying its offensive by seizing on the fact that candidate Kim Tae-heum's opening remarks in the South Chungcheong governor TV debate were completely edited out. As the gap has recently narrowed in the South Chungcheong governor race, the People Power Party has been visiting the Chungcheong region day after day to court voters.
The first appearance of Park Geun-hye, a conservative icon, is also scheduled. Park will visit Chilseong Market in Daegu at 2 p.m. on this day with Daegu mayoral candidate Choo Kyung-ho. With the official campaign underway, the move is seen as an effort to rally conservative voters as much as possible.