Power struggle between the DPK and the RKP for dominance in the Honam region stronghold

Cho Kuk, Representative of the Rebuilding Korea Party, and Park Woong-doo, head of the Gokseong County Agro Healing Federation, pose for a commemorative photo during a recruitment ceremony at the National Assembly on August 26. Yonhap News

The race between the Democratic Party of Korea and the Rebuilding Korea Party is in full swing ahead of the October 16 re-election of Gokseong and Yeonggwang counties in South Jeolla Province. The DPK has said it will prioritize the implementation of Lee Jae-myung’s signature brand of policy, “basic income,” in South Jeolla Province. The RKP has announced its candidate for the Gokseong county governor re-election, saying that “The Honam region is virtually a one-party monopoly of the DPK.”

“South Jeolla Province is not only the political stronghold of the DPK, but also the top priority region for the realization of Lee Jae-myung’s ‘energy highway,’” Kim Min-seok, a Supreme Council member of the DPK, said at the party’s Supreme Council meeting on August 26. “The party leadership, including myself and Lee Han-joo, head of the Democratic Research Institute, will visit the region again this week to begin refining the party’s policies.”

Kim had previously visited Gokseong and Yeonggwang counties in South Jeolla Province on the 24th, along with Supreme Council member Han Joon-ho. Yeonggwang and Gokseong are scheduled to hold re-elections on October 16 after former independent county governor Kang Jong-man and former Democratic Party county governor Lee Sang-cheol stepped down due to election law violations.

“The DPK and its leader Lee Jae-myung will lead the development of the Honam region,” Kim said, adding, “We will make sure that the DPK is the only viable alternative to take charge of the region’s development and future.”

The RKP, which topped the polls in the Honam region for proportional representation in the April 10 general election, is expected to engage in stiff competition with the DPK in the October re-run.

“The Honam region is virtually a monopoly of the DPK,” Cho said at the Supreme Council meeting, adding that “Stagnant water breeds decay, so we need to keep it flowing.” “Competition with the DPK will lead to more candidates, open new pathways, and discover the next Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun,” Cho said.

Cho emphasized the idea of “collaborative competition.” “We will boldly run candidates in areas where the DPK cannot, but in the Yeongnam region, we will compete with the DPK, and we may also form alliances to secure victory.” Referring to the national archery team selection process, he added, “Our election strategy is to be fierce competitors in individual contests and a unified team in collective efforts, just like the national archery team.”

The RKP is also engaging in the “The Honam region residency strategy” targeting the re-election. “As for me, I’m definitely going, and I believe that Cho is also preparing for it,” Shin Jang-sik, a lawmaker of the RKP, said on CBS Radio on the 19th.

The RKP announced Park Woong-doo, head of the Gokseong County Agro Healing Federation, as its second recruit to register as a preliminary candidate for Gokseong county governor.

At the recruitment ceremony, Cho introduced Park, saying, “As someone who has tirelessly worked for the development of Gokseong, he has also engaged in various activities such as serving as the policy chairman of the National Farmer’s Federation and the executive chairman of the Gokseong-gun Peace Girl Statue Construction Promotion Committee.”

“The arrogance and self-righteousness of the DPK, which has lost its ability to self-correct, caused the re-election of the county governor,” Park said, emphasizing that he would make the re-election of Gokseong county governor a starting point for revolutionizing politics in the Honam region.

Indeed, the two parties are expected to compete fiercely in the re-election. In the last proportional representation vote in the April 10 general election, the RKP won 39.88 percent of the vote in Gokseong and 39.46 percent in Yeonggwang. It narrowly trailed the Democratic Alliance, a DPK-led satellite party, with 41.13 percent of the vote in Gokseong and 40.14 percent in Yeonggwang.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.