The Minjoo Party of Korea’s former chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in on Friday raised the stakes in Gwangju, the party’s traditional stronghold, by suggesting he would quit politics unless the area supported the party in next week’s general election.
“If Honam (Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces) rescind support for me, I will withdraw from politics without any regret. I will not be aiming for the presidential race either,” he said during his much anticipated visit to the region.
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| Former chief of The Minjoo Party of Korea Rep. Moon Jae-in (second from left), accompanied by the late President Kim Dae-jung’s son Kim Hong-gul (far left), pays respect at the May 18 Memorial Cemetary in Gwangju on Friday. Yonhap |
Moon’s message was considered a last-ditch plea for loyalty from the region and a full-on challenge against his dissenters who have blamed him for the party’s faltering popularity there.
Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces, also referred to as “Honam,” have formed a traditional political base for the Minjoo Party and its precursors, dating back to the democratic movement. Some members representing the Honam constituencies have publicly butted heads with Moon, who was chief secretary to late President Roh Moo-hyun. They accuse the former administration of having neglected the “true Honam figures” while they were in power.
Such claims appear to be true, as support ratings for the party in the region have fallen behind the third-largest People’s Party, led and joined by Moon’s dissenters.
Based on these polling results, the party has been split between those who opposed Moon’s Friday visit for fear of further aggravating disgruntled voters, and those that supported the need for him to mend fences, or even prove the dissenters wrong.
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| Moon is surrounded by supporters after his speech delivered in Gwangju, Friday. (Yonhap) |
“An opposition candidate who fails to demonstrate the spirit of Homan, would be someone who does not deserve to represent (the opposition),” Moon said. “If it truly is the wish of Honam (to be rid of me from the scene), then I will gladly accept such judgement.”
He also took a shot at his dissenters, saying that it would not be the desire of the voters to pick politicians that “resort to outdated and divisive politics by isolating Honam by distorting the true sentiment of the region.”
Moon is scheduled to visit the Honam constituencies until Saturday. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)
