"If There Were No Honam, There Would Be No Country"... Democratic Party Leadership Candidates Woo Voters in Key Battleground Jeonnam-Gwangju

Jung: "Son-in-law of Honam" · Kim: "Honam is My Soul"
Song: "Support the Son, Not Just the Son-in-law... Without Younggil, There is No Jaemyung"

As the tour primaries for the Honam region, considered the most crucial battleground of the August 17 Democratic Party national convention to elect new leadership, commenced, all party leader candidates collectively appealed to party sentiment by underscoring the phrase, "If there were no Honam, there would be no country."

On August 15, the Democratic Party held a joint speech session for convention candidates at the multipurpose gymnasium of Naju Sports Park in Naju, Gwangju, Jeollanam-do.

(Naju=Yonhap News) Reporter Shin Hyunwoo = Democratic Party presidential candidates Minseok Kim, Cheongrae Jeong, and Younggil Song attended the joint speech meeting of Democratic Party representatives and supreme council members for Jeonnam and Gwangju, held on August 15, 2026, at the Naju Comprehensive Sports Park Multipurpose Gymnasium in Naju, Gwangju, Jeonnam, posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by Shin Hyunwoo. nowwego@yna.co.kr (End)

Minseok Kim and Cheongrae Jung, the two leading candidates vying for first and second place, both began their speeches by referencing the phrase, "If there were no Honam, there would be no country."

Jung Cheongrae, who spoke first, began his remarks by deeply bowing to party members. He introduced himself as "the son-in-law of Honam from Gangjin, Jeollanam-do," and said, "We have ushered in a new era where each party member's sovereign vote counts equally. Although the voting system is one person, one vote, I have endured 3-to-1, 4-to-1, and 5-to-1 odds, but I have made it this far by relying solely on the members."

He continued, "Just as citizens who supported Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in, together with those who voted for Lee Jae-myung, must strive to ensure the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration, I will take the lead in this effort. I will bring together those who backed four presidents within the party to achieve unified integration."

Jung also stated, "Reform is the core identity of the Democratic Party. We will continue pushing for reforms. The Democratic Party prevailed when it pursued reforms and lost when it failed to do so." He added, "Please stand with me, Cheongrae Jung, a strong reformist candidate for party leader."

He further emphasized, "Transitioning from an IT powerhouse to an AI powerhouse, the Honam semiconductor cluster is a project I will ensure succeeds with my drive, breakthrough ability, and rapid execution." Among Jung's supporters at the venue, many stood out in yellow T-shirts or waved yellow pinwheels.

Kim Minseok explained, "The meaning of 'If there were no Honam, there would be no country' has shifted with each era—in Admiral Yi Sun-sin's time, Honam's absence meant the nation could not be protected; in Kim Dae-jung's era, it meant democracy could not survive without Honam. In the current era of Lee Jae-myung, without Honam, there is no AI, no new leap forward, and no advanced Korea."

He further highlighted personal ties to the region, saying, "I spent three years in prison in Gwangju. Gwangju is my soul and pride. In Jindo, Jeollanam-do, there is an elementary school built by my maternal great-grandfather, so Jeollanam-do is my origin. Iksan in Jeollabuk-do is where I currently live, and Jeollabuk-do is where I hope to spend my later years."

Kim also highlighted the three major mega-projects of the Lee Jae-myung administration, saying, "This is not just about allocating resources to Honam, but rather a national prosperity plan designed to revitalize Honam, the provinces, the Seoul metropolitan area, and Korea as a whole." He declared, "I bear unlimited responsibility for the success of these mega-projects. I helped design them alongside President Lee. The Honam AI Mega Project is both Lee Jae-myung's and my dream, and because it is the president's historic high-stakes bet, I will stake everything on ensuring its success."

Younggil Song said, "As the son of Honam, I am finally able to greet you here today. Let's not fall into the defeatist mindset about Honam anymore but instead establish a new political center for the region in the post–Kim Dae-jung era." He added, "While sons-in-law are good, you have to support the son. The son of Honam has returned."

Song continued, "Without Younggil, there cannot be Lee Jae-myung," and described himself as a comrade who has survived both hammer and knife attacks alongside President Lee.

Targeting candidate Jung, he pointed out, "Of 14 by-elections, the Democratic Party lost four of its seats. Despite President Lee recognizing these losses as warnings from the people and apologizing for them, claiming victory is nothing more than accounting fraud."

Song added, "If you select new management based on accounting fraud, share value falls, the company suffers losses, and it will likely be difficult to win the next legislative and Seoul mayoral by-elections. We must correct the accounting fraud and form new management that can achieve true change."

After the Honam regional primaries, the Democratic Party will hold tour primaries for the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions on August 16, and the final winner will be selected on August 17. The final outcome will be determined based on 70% from party member and delegate votes and 30% from public opinion polls.

Meanwhile, the online voting participation rate for eligible party members in the Honam region, which ended on August 13, was 37.63% in Jeonnam-Gwangju and 35.22% in Jeonbuk. The final turnout for today will be calculated after including results from ARS (automated response system) voting.

So far, the Democratic Party has held tour primaries in Chungcheong, Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam, Jeju-Incheon, and Gangwon-Daegu-Gyeongbuk. Kim Minseok currently leads with a cumulative 46.01% of the votes, ahead of Jung Cheongrae with 44.53% by a margin of 1.48 percentage points, while Song Younggil holds a cumulative 9.47%.

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