Park Geun-hye's Appearance Stirs the Campaign... "Support Began and Approval Ratings Surged"

Park Minshik to Accompany Former President Park at Gijang Market

Han Donghoon Stresses "Rebuilding Conservatism" and "Future Conservatives"

Attention Focuses on PK Conservative Voters’ Choice

Former President Park Geun-hye will campaign for the People Power Party in the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam (PK) regions on May 27. This comes as the PK region has emerged as a key battleground between the ruling and opposition parties. In particular, attention is focused on how Park’s appearance will influence the by-election for the Buk-gu Gap constituency in Busan, where the conservative camp is engaged in a competition for legitimacy.

On this day, Park is scheduled to visit Jungang Market in Jinju, Gyeongnam, Sinjeong Market in Nam-gu, Ulsan, and Gijang Market in Gijang-gun, Busan, in succession. Since supporting Daegu mayoral candidate Chu Kyungho at Chilseong Market in Daegu on May 23, Park has continued nationwide campaigning, including visits to Daejeon and Chungnam on May 25.

Former President Park Geun-hye visited the election office of Lee Jangwoo, the People Power Party candidate for Daejeon Mayor in Seo-gu, Daejeon on the 25th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Within the People Power Party, there is considerable optimism about the impact of Park’s appearance. It is seen as at least effective in consolidating the conservative base. A senior lawmaker from the Gangwon region commented, “If you look at Daegu, support rates surged as soon as Park began campaigning,” adding, “It will help rally conservatives.”

Political attention is particularly focused on the by-election for the Buk-gu Gap constituency in Busan. Here, Park, the candidate from the People Power Party, faces independent candidate Han Donghoon, and a fierce competition for leadership within the conservative bloc is underway. Park’s campaign team also plans to accompany the former president during her visit to Gijang Market. Park’s participation in the Gijang schedule, which is located on the opposite side of his constituency, is interpreted as an effort to emphasize the symbolic significance of Park’s conservative legitimacy.

In contrast, the relationship between candidate Han and former President Park is widely viewed as adversarial. During the “Park Geun-hye government influence-peddling scandal” investigation, Han was dispatched to the special prosecutor team led by Park Youngsoo and participated in the investigation, at which time he demanded a 30-year prison sentence for Park. On this day, Park appeared on Channel A’s “Radio Show Political Signal,” saying, “Candidate Han hammered a nail into the hearts of conservative supporters by demanding a prison term for Park Geun-hye, who is the symbol and president of the conservative cause. He claims to be rebuilding conservatism in words, but in reality, he is a Trojan horse of division, destroying the conservative camp.”

Han, seemingly mindful of this background, paid a visit to Park in March 2024 and, in July of that year, expressed his apologies for the investigation, saying, “I feel deeply sorry.” Instead, in this election, Han is differentiating himself by emphasizing “conservative renewal” and generational change, mindful of the “traditional conservatism versus future conservatism” dynamic.

There are also differing views on the impact Park’s appearance will have on the Buk-gu Gap by-election in Busan. One political insider remarked, “As Busan can no longer be seen as an unassailable conservative stronghold like in the past, the key variable in the final phase of the election will be how much the conservative vote can be consolidated.”

On the other hand, former emergency committee chair Kim Jongin appeared on CBS’s “Park Seongtae’s News Show,” stating, “There is a significant difference between Park’s past and present political influence. How can someone whose time has passed become the center of conservatism again?” Another political insider also said, “There is a difference in Park’s influence between Daegu and Busan, and the impact on consolidating votes at the last minute may be limited.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.