Liberal presidential candidates took steps to win the support of voters in Jeolla Province on Thursday while ruling party hopeful Park Geun-hye moved to secure backing from her critics as she pushed forward her pledge to seek national unity ahead of the December elections.
Rep. Moon Jae-in, the candidate of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP), will stay overnight in Gwangju, 329 kilometers south of Seoul, to meet voters and hold talks with lawmakers who represent the city and neighboring South Jeolla Province.
A recent poll by Gallup Korea showed Moon trailing independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo 42 percent to 51 percent in the region, which has long been a bastion of support for South Korea's liberal and progressive parties.
Moon said in a meeting of party officials earlier in the day there is a pressing need to heal old wounds that took place under the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
"Everything must be done to wipe out the factionalism that has affected the cohesion of the party's support base," he said.
The first term lawmaker served as chief of staff under the late president who is considered an icon among liberals, although he is also criticized for causing the split up of the New Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) that got him elected in 2002. Roh and his supporters, mainly from the rival Gyeongsang Province, bolted from the MDP that was led by Jeolla politicians and set up the Uri Party in 2003. The move is still resented by people in Jeolla.
Ahn, a software entrepreneur-turned-politician, also came to the region to visit his in-laws living in Yeosu, 455 kilometers from the capital city, after staying in his hometown of Busan.
He met with residents and merchants in the port city that recently hosted an international exposition that drew more than 8.2 million spectators.
The 50-year-old founder of AhnLab, the country's largest anti-virus software company, praised the city for coping effectively to minimize the damage caused by typhoons that hit the country recently.
The visit comes less than two weeks after Ahn made a surprise visit to a national cemetery honoring those killed in the 1980 Gwangju democracy uprising.
Yoo Min-young, the candidate's spokesman, said the short visit will be followed by a more formal tour after the Chuseok holiday, or Korea's Thanksgiving Day, that falls on Sunday this year.
Political pundits said even though Ahn is currently running neck-and-neck in polls for who is best suited to become a single candidate for the opposition camp, he may face trouble down the road because, like Moon, he is not from the Jeolla region nor well known in rural areas.
"He needs solid support from Jeolla if he wants to be tapped to represent the opposition in the Dec. 19 election since the DUP's contender is taking steps to advertise his credentials as the 'true' champion of the region," an observer said.
Moon said Ahn's popularity is not centered on a single person. Instead, it is a reflection of the public's desire for change, and the only viable force that can satisfy such a trend is the DUP.
In a bid to boost his image as a candidate capable of making sweeping changes, Ahn named Korea University professor Jang Ha-sung to head his economic democracy campaign office.
The appointment is seen as a sign the candidate will seek to step up efforts to reform South Korea's large business conglomerates, which have received flak for monopolizing the country's wealth.
"Now is the time to seek fundamental changes and to create a new model for capitalism," he said, adding that policies to change big companies as well as revamping the labor market will be sought to create a better wealth distribution system.
Ahn also took steps to make up for his lack of experience in public office by proclaiming he will join forces with anyone seeking to overhaul the country's politics.
"There are many within the political establishment that want change and I have the courage to work with such people," he said at a meeting with reporters. The statement can be interpreted as laying the ground work for seeking a single candidacy with Moon as well as an outline of how he will run the country if he is elected.
The candidate stressed that he will not look back and think only of moving forward.
Meanwhile, the Saenuri Party candidate remained in Seoul as she sought to recruit people into her election camp.
Lee Jung-hyun, the head of her public relations team, said the 60-year-old lawmaker is committed to winning the support of her critics such as Reps. Chung Mong-joon and Lee Jae-oh. Both boycotted the party's primary and routinely criticized Park for failing to listen to the advice of others.
"Park plans to pay due respects to the two lawmakers so they can become an asset in the elections," the official said.
Winning over her critics inside the party is important because it shows the Saenuri leader is serious about reconciling with her political rivals. This can lay the foundation for her main campaign pledge of seeking national unity.
Related to Park's aim of creating a competitive election camp, encompassing both supporters and critics, party sources hinted that talks are under way to invite Seoul National University professor Song Ho-keun to sit as co-chairman to manage her campaign.
Song is viewed as a moderate conservative and has not been shy about criticizing Park and the ruling camp. In the past, he had praised the accomplishments of liberal President Kim Dae-jung for his policies to improve relations with North Korea.
He declined to tell Yonhap News Agency if he was contacted by Park to accept the top post, but hinted some exchange had taken place.
The sociology professor, who is an expert on labor markets and welfare, pointed out that Park generally was correct in her approach to seeking national unity and economic democratization.
"In my view her pledges only meet 40-50 percent of (overall) expectations," he said.
If Song joins the election camp, it could bolster the Saenuri Party hopeful's image as a person seeking to mend fences and embrace all aspects of society. (Yonhap)