Presidential candidates vie for conservative voters for 2nd day

Three presidential candidates ramped up their campaigns in the city of Busan and South Gyeongsang Province on Wednesday, vying for conservative voters for the second day, with 20 days to go before the June 3 election.

The election is seen as a three-way race among Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party (DP), Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party (PPP) and Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party, with the DP’s Lee maintaining a solid lead in opinion polls.

Since official campaigns started early this week, the three candidates have visited the southeastern region and stepped up efforts to woo voters in the region, a stronghold of the conservative PPP.

The election is expected to cap months of political uncertainties after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted over his botched martial law bid.

On the third day of the official campaign, the three contenders squared off in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, following their campaign stops in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province on Tuesday.

The DP’s Lee paid tribute at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan, honoring fallen soldiers who fought under the United Nations flag during the 1950-53 Korean War.

Lee appealed for support and urged the PPP to issue a sincere apology for Yoon’s botched martial law declaration and to expel the impeached president, referring to Yoon as “the ringleader of the military coup.”

He also announced support measures for the shipbuilding industry, focusing on modernizing the manufacturing process through the use of artificial intelligence and robotics.

Kim visited a traditional market in Jinju and the Korea AeroSpace Administration in Sacheon, where he pledged to support strategic industries, such as aerospace and shipbuilding, while also vowing to improve people’s livelihoods.

Amid growing calls for the party to sever ties with the impeached president, Kim reaffirmed his position that he would respect Yoon’s decision regarding the issue.

Kim has been campaigning in Gyeongsang Province, largely considered the PPP’s stronghold, for three days as part of efforts to address growing public disenchantment with the conservative party in the aftermath of Yoon’s impeachment.

Lee of the New Reform Party visited Pusan National University and had lunch with students to woo young voters.

When asked about the possibility of unifying candidacies with Kim, Lee said he opposes a forced merger, arguing that such an approach would not generate any meaningful synergy.