Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who is set to resign, will visit Gwangju. In political circles, his trip to the Honam region is being interpreted as a move with an eye on a bid for the next party leadership. Honam is regarded as the region with the largest number of voting party members eligible to cast ballots at the national convention.
According to the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday, Kim will attend the "New Honam Forum" held at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju on Friday. At the forum, local government heads as well as metropolitan and basic council members elected in this election will participate to discuss measures for Honam's development.
Political circles view Kim's Gwangju visit as a move aimed at the next party convention. Honam is the region with the party's largest base of voting members, and it is also where critical public opinion was raised against party leader Chung Chung-rae during the recent local elections.
In fact, South Jeolla Governor Kim Yung-rok and North Jeolla Governor Kim Kwan-young, who had expressed dissatisfaction during the primaries for South Jeolla-Gwangju Special City Mayor and North Jeolla Governor, publicly raised questions about Chung's responsibility immediately after the election.
That day, Kim sent a congratulatory message to Democratic Party lawmaker Song Young-gil, who returned to the National Assembly, revealing a sense of closeness. He left a message on Song's Facebook page congratulating his election: "I am reminded of the times we stood together at the airport when President Kim Dae-jung went to Pyongyang, and as a supreme council member serving as a chief mourner when he passed away."
Song had earlier pointed to the leadership, including Chung, as the cause of the Seoul mayoral election defeat, criticizing that "it is regrettable that the party's election strategy failed to capitalize on the Lee Jae-myung administration's approval ratings," and that "the party leader must bear all political responsibility." For this reason, political circles are also discussing the possibility of an alliance between Song and Kim.
Kim has put effort into solidifying his base within the party through so-called "dinner politics." After continuing exchanges by inviting lawmakers to his official residence by National Assembly standing committee, he held a dinner with 10 floor leadership members on the 19th of last month, and on the 2nd he disclosed a dinner schedule with cabinet members, raising his profile.
Meanwhile, the appointment of Kim's successor is expected to be announced as early as Sunday. Justice Minister Chung Sung-ho and Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik are mentioned as candidates for the next prime minister.
