PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TOUR NATION

[Anchor Lead]

Turning to politics. While visiting Bongha Village in Gimhae, Lee Jae-myung promised to achieve a balanced development of the nation, which the late President Roh Moo-hyun had pursued. During a visit to Gwnagju, Yoon Suk-yeol appealed to the voters in Jeolla provinces, saying that the People Power Party has fallen far short of their expectations but that he and his party will try to change.

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Lee Jae-myung visited Bongha Village in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do Province. He shed tears during a visit to the grave of former President Roh Moo-hyun.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Pres. Candidate) : "It was Roh Moo-hyun’s dream to build a world for ordinary people. It is also Moon Jae-in’s dream and my permanent dream."

Lee then picked the front of Roh’s house as a venue to announce his plan to create another capital-like area in the southern region of the nation. This symbolizes his move to pursue the legacy of the late president who stressed balanced national development. The ruling party candidate plans to create two mega-regional economic zones in the nation by combining the central part of the capital area, Chungcheong and Gangwon-do provinces. The other zone consists of Jeju, Gyeongsang-do and Jeolla-do provinces.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Pres. Candidate) : "The southern part of the Korean Peninsula can be developed as an independent global super economic zone like Singapore."

On Sunday night, Lee Jae-myung held a closed-door meeting with Kim Chong-in, the former interim leader of the main opposition People Power Party. In an effort to win over more moderate voters, the Democratic Party has been asking Kim to support it recently. Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party again visited the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju. While he paid respects to the victims of the Gwagju pro-democracy movement, he couldn't burn incense due to protest from organizations of their bereaved families.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(PPP Pres. Candidate) : "I think the spirit of the May 18th Gwangju movement is the spirit of liberal democracy and national unity."

Yoon appealed to the voters in the Jeolla-do province, mentioning former President Kim Dae-jung and his political philosophy stressing national unity. He also said that the People Power Party has fallen far short of Jeolla voters’ expectations but that he and his party will make efforts to change. As campaign promises for the region, the main opposition candidate pledged to create an AI hub city in the province and build a high-speed expressway between Gwangju and Yeongam as well as establishing an international institute studying the Gwangju pro-democracy movement.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(PPP Pres. Candidate) : "I will turn Gwangju into a leading city of AI, digital technology, regardless of the approval ratings I would win in Gwangju and Jeolla region."

Yoon Suk-yeol met with SK Group Chair Chey Tae-won and other business people at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.