As the traveling primary to elect the next leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea was held in the Honam region on the 15th, candidates Kim Min-seok, Song Young-gil and Jung Chung-rae, who are running for party leader, appealed for the votes of Honam dues-paying members. They shouted "If there is no Honam, there is no nation" ("yakmu Honam simu gukga") and raised their voices that they should become party leader.
Jung was the first to take the podium. Jung emphasized Honam's symbolism at the joint rally for South Jeolla and Gwangju held that afternoon at Naju General Sports Park, saying, "If there had been no Honam, there would have been no nation, no democracy and no Democratic Party."
He also introduced himself as "a Honam son-in-law with my in-laws from Gangjin County, South Jeolla," and appealed, "You cannot cut the roots and make the flowers bloom; please help."
He went on to highlight the achievements of former President Kim Dae-jung, who was from Honam. Jung said, "Thanks to the internet that President Kim laid down, Korea was able to become an internet powerhouse," and added, "And because President Kim said, 'Provide support but do not interfere,' achieving a major shift in cultural policy, we became the country of BTS, a cultural powerhouse." He then said, "It is thanks to President Kim. Mr. President, thank you and we are grateful."
Song introduced himself as "a son of Honam from Goheung," stressing his ties with the region. Song shouted, "Who is the rightful root of the Democratic Party?" and "Is it 'if there is no Young-gil, there is no Jae-myung'?" It is interpreted to mean that without him, President Lee Jae-myung would not exist.
He then emphasized his ties with President Lee. Song appealed, "President Lee and I are comrades who survived near death after being hit by a hammer attack and a knife attack," and said, "I will carry on former President Kim's legacy and make Honam the center of politics." He added, "Senior advisor Kwon No-gap called me a second Kim Dae-jung," and said, "I will carry that on."
Kim, who took the microphone last, also stressed his ties with Honam as he sought to win votes. Kim said, "I served three years in prison for Gwangju (the uprising)," and added, "In Jindo, there is a school built by my maternal great-grandfather, and in Iksan, I have a residence."
He added, "In Admiral Yi Sun-sin's era, without Honam the nation could not be defended; in Kim Dae-jung's era, without Honam democracy could not be defended; and in Lee Jae-myung's era, without Honam there is no AI, no new leap forward and no advanced Korea."
He also emphasized the importance of the government's "three mega projects."
Kim said, "We will move semiconductors, which have been stuck in the capital area, to Honam to start there and link them to Chungcheong and Yeongnam, making all of Korea a semiconductor powerhouse," adding, "This is not a giveaway to Honam but a national prosperity plan that revives Honam, revives the provinces, revives the capital area and revives Korea."
After finishing their speeches, the candidates were set to move to Iksan, North Jeolla, that day for a joint rally for North Jeolla party members.
The results of the Honam dues-paying members' vote will be announced at 7 p.m. that day. Honam, where 32.9% (about 510,000 people) of the Democratic Party's total dues-paying members are concentrated, is seen as the key battleground in the Aug. 17 party convention.
So far in the dues-paying members' vote, Kim leads with 46.01%, ahead of Jung (44.53%) by 1.48 percentage points (p). With the vote gap between Kim and Jung only 3,086 votes, the result of the day's voting is expected to greatly affect the race ahead.
The final result for party leader will be announced on the 17th at Daejeon Convention Center after the primary in the capital area (Seoul and Gyeonggi) on the 16th.