On Saturday, the final weekend before the June 3 local elections, former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye joined campaign rallies in Busan and Daegu, calling on conservative voters to unite.
Lee visited Suyeong-ro Church in Busan's Haeundae district on Saturday morning, attending a service alongside Park Hyung-joon, the People Power Party candidate for Busan mayor. After the service, Lee shared a meal of pork-and-rice soup with Park Hyung-joon and Park Min-sik, the by-election candidate for Busan's Buk District-A, at a restaurant near Gunam-ro in Haeundae. He then moved to the entrance of Haeundae Market with Park Hyung-joon to greet citizens. They were accompanied by Kim Sung-soo, the candidate for Haeundae district chief, and Rep. Joo Jin-woo of Haeundae-A. Park Min-sik, who is running in Buk District-A, did not join the Haeundae schedule.
"This is the first time I have taken the microphone for a candidate in this local election," Lee said. "Mayor Park Hyung-joon is developing Busan with a future-oriented vision. Please choose Park Hyung-joon so he can finish what he has started." On May 15, Lee had expressed his support for Seoul Mayor candidate Oh Se-hoon at Cheonggye Stream in Seoul but did not personally take the microphone at that event.
"If Park is entrusted with city affairs for another four years, Busan's population will grow, young people will gather here, and the city will develop into a hub for tourism, culture and arts, the economy and high-tech industries," Lee said. "I will watch over that progress from behind." The Haeundae Market area where Lee appeared was packed with supporters of both Lee and Park.
Park Geun-hye, who has been actively campaigning across the country, returned to Daegu to support Choo Kyung-ho, the candidate for Daegu mayor. After visiting Chilseong Market on May 23 to back Choo, Park visited Seomun Market on Saturday. Seomun Market, which draws tens of thousands of visitors, is regarded as a barometer of public sentiment in Daegu. "Seomun Market is truly a symbolic place for conservatives," Park said. "The mayor must be someone who can revive Daegu's economy. Choo is the most qualified candidate." She later visited Suseong Pond with Choo in the evening to greet citizens in person.
Reacting to the signs of conservative consolidation, Kang Jun-hyeon, chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, criticized Lee, saying, "Is the former president, who dismantled the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and scrapped the Gadeokdo New Airport project, qualified to talk about Busan's future?" He also dismissed the impact of the two former presidents' campaign support, saying it "will not have a major influence." Hong Joon-pyo, the former Daegu mayor who has declared his support for Democratic Party candidate Kim Boo-kyum in this Daegu mayoral race, harshly criticized the move, saying, "Emotion-driven voting that leans on former President Park will only make Daegu's future bleaker."
