Former President Park Geun-hye, dubbed the "queen of elections," stepped to the forefront nine days before the June 3 local elections.
In the afternoon on the 25th, the former president visited the campaign office of People Power Party Daejeon mayoral candidate Lee Jang-woo to lend support. Taking the microphone at Lee's campaign office, Park said, "Daejeon mayoral candidate Lee Jang-woo is a comrade who has been with me for a truly long time," adding, "No matter how difficult things get, he is someone unwavering and consistent in trust."
She then said, "I believe the citizens of Daejeon also know well this true side of the mayor," before leaving.
Around 2:30 p.m. that day, the former president arrived in a black sedan in front of Lee's campaign office. She wore the same white jumper and black pants as when she visited the birthplace of Yuk Young-soo in Okcheon, North Chungcheong, in the morning.
Getting out of the car, the former president approached cheering supporters for high-fives and shook hands with citizens. She spent five minutes with supporters.
Starting at 1 p.m., supporters of the former president gathered in front of the campaign office, blowing whistles and chanting, "Park Geun-hye! Park Geun-hye!" They also shouted, "Lee Jang-woo! Lee Jang-woo!" The campaign estimated that about 3,500 people had gathered today to see the former president.
At about 2:40 p.m., the former president entered Lee Jang-woo's campaign office and held a private meeting of about 20 minutes over tea with People Power Party Daejeon mayoral candidate Lee Jang-woo and People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Young-ha.
At the meeting, Lee presented the former president with a hanging scroll inscribed with "Seoro" (瑞露), meaning a sign that ushers in an era of peace and prosperity. The private meeting took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere between the former president and Lee. Lawmaker Yoo was seen opening a notebook and taking notes throughout.
After the meeting, Park herself came out and took the microphone. The former president said, "I hope there will be a good result so that mayoral candidate Lee Jang-woo can serve the citizens."
She then finished a commemorative photo shoot with the five Daejeon district office head candidates and Lee, and the former president left the site around 3:30 p.m. The former president did not answer reporters' questions separately.
After the event, candidate Lee Jang-woo met with a reporter and began by saying that, in the private meeting with the former president, "We said we might have served her poorly and made things difficult for the president." He added, "She asked me how my health is."
At the meeting, the former president was said to have asked the party to unite tightly as one. Lee said, "We laughed the hardest while reminiscing with the former president," adding, "She came to Daejeon in December last year and we were supposed to have dinner, but we couldn't meet because the country took a bad turn."
This Daejeon mayoral election is a rematch after four years between Democratic Party of Korea candidate Heo Tae-jung, who served as Daejeon's mayor during the 2018–2022 seventh popularly elected term, and People Power Party candidate Lee Jang-woo, who was the incumbent mayor.
Twenty years ago, in 2006, during a local election campaign, the former president was hospitalized after a "box-cutter attack," and upon discharge famously asked aides, "What about Daejeon?" She immediately went to Daejeon to campaign, and the Hannara Party overturned a disadvantage and won the election.
Public reaction to the former president's visit to Daejeon that day was mixed.
A taxi driver surnamed Jang (65, male), who has worked in Daejeon for more than 20 years, said, "If the former president runs in Daegu even now, she will be elected, but Daejeon is different," adding, "I don't know why someone who was impeached is coming."
Kim Woo-gi (68, male), who said he has supplied food ingredients for 20 years at Daejeon Oryu Traditional Market, said, "The former president has painful circumstances, and because of the sentiment of Korean people, her visit will be a strength."