PPP interim leader seeks support in liberal strongholds
Ruling People Power Party interim leader Han Dong-hoon, center, kneels before the gravestone of a pro-democracy protester at the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, Thursday. Joint Press Corps
Han Dong-hoon, the new interim leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), sought to strengthen the conservative party’s footing in the liberal strongholds of Gwangju and the surrounding Jeolla provinces, Thursday, promising that his party will express its gratitude to the regions through policies by using its power as the ruling party.
“The PPP and I have a sense of deep gratitude to and respect for the citizens of Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces,” Han said during a New Year greeting with the PPP’s regional members in Gwangju, noting that the region fought to defend the country’s democracy through a pro-democratic uprising in the city that began on May 18, 1980, after Chun Doo-hwan took power of the country in a military coup.
“And this is not just rhetoric because we are the ruling party. I promise you that the PPP will express its gratitude and respect through policies, budgets and administrative work.”
People Power Party interim leader Han Dong-hoon, center, speaks during a New Year greeting with the party's regional members at Kimdaejung Convention Center in Gwangju, Thursday. Yonhap
Han toured Gwangju and other cities in Korea’s southwest as part of his campaign to amass the party’s clout in the region, following criticism that he faces limitations in expanding the PPP’s influence to liberal or moderate voters as he has thus far found favor predominantly among conservative voters.
“Though we may be the minority (in Gwangju), we should not confine ourselves to it,” Han said. “We should address the disappointments that this region had with past administrations… We should showcase how we should use our power (as the ruling party) to make life better for our citizens and the country.”
Han promised that he will attend the centennial anniversary of former President Kim Dae-jung’s birth in Gwangju, the political hometown of the former president, on Saturday.
People Power Party interim leader Han Dong-hoon, center, pays tribute at the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, Thursday. Yonhap
Earlier that morning, Han visited the Gwangju Student Independence Movement Memorial Hall and the May 18th National Cemetery to pay tribute to independence fighters and pro-democracy protesters.
The cemetery is a symbolic site for the country's liberal politicians and their supporters in the southwest, and a go-to site for conservative politicians when they seek support from liberal and centrist voters.
In August 2020, Kim Chong-in, the interim leader of the United Future Party, a predecessor of the PPP, also visited the cemetery in Gwangju and knelt before the victims in apology. This resulted in a temporary rise in the conservative party’s support rate in Gwangju and the Jeolla region.
During his visit to the cemetery, Han said he “fully advocates” the idea of including the spirit of the May 18th Democratic Uprising in the Constitution, which was among President Yoon Suk Yeol’s election pledges.
“I will discuss with the party how to include it in the Constitution,” Han told reporters after visiting the cemetery. “If the phrase 'May 18 spirit' is stated in our Constitution, it will become much richer and clearer, and we can be even more proud of it.”
However, he noted that the process requires “a national referendum and there are various opinions.”
People Power Party interim leader Han Dong-hoon, center, is surrounded by police officers as he rides an escalator at GwangjuSongjeong Station, Thursday. Yonhap
Han’s visits came amid increased police security following a knife attack on Tuesday against Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). A day earlier, police apprehended a man in his 40s who posted an online death threat against Han during his visit to Gwangju.
Against that backdrop, a survey showed that Han and Lee are close in terms of popularity.
In a poll released Thursday by Ace Research, Lee was leading the pack with 39 percent followed by Han at 35 percent.
The poll’s margin of error was 4 percentage points. The poll surveyed 1,002 adults from Jan. 1 to 2 at the request of Newsis. Further details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission’s website.