South Korea: DP's Lee makes push in liberal stronghold; PPP's Kim heads to battleground region

Seoul, May 16 (IANS) South Korean Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung appealed to voters in North Jeolla Province on Friday, while People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo headed to battleground regions in the Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong provinces.

With the official campaigns for the June 3 presidential election entering the fifth day, Lee appeared to solidify his support in the region, a stronghold for the DP, while Kim sought to woo centrist voters in the battleground region.

The June 3 presidential vote is being held to pick a successor to former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over his failed martial law bid.

So far, the DP's Lee has kept a solid lead in opinion polls in a three-way race that also includes Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party.

A Gallup Korea survey conducted this week showed that the DP's Lee was leading Kim with 51 per cent support against Kim's 29 per cent. The minor party's Lee came third with eight percent.

Lee Jae-myung will start the day by visiting Iksan and Gunsan in North Jeolla Province before meeting young traditional musicians in the southwestern city of Jeonju.

He will then hold a campaign rally at the back gate of Jeonbuk National University and wrap up his day in the southwestern city of Jeongeup.

PPP's Kim will campaign in the greater Seoul area, which is considered a barometer of public sentiment, and seek to gain support in the key battleground of the central region.

Kim started off by greeting commuters at Pangyo in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, and held a campaign rally at a traditional market in Suwon. He will move to Dongtan on the southern outskirts of the capital, where he is set to announce his pledge regarding the Great Train Express (GTX) at Dongtan Station.

He will then head to the central cities of Cheonan, Sejong, Cheongju and Daejeon. In Sejong, he plans to visit the site of the planned relocation of the National Assembly building and announce his pledge to develop the administrative capital, Yonhap news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Lee of the minor New Reform Party unveiled his pledge to transform Busan into a global data hub by establishing a "data special zone."

He also announced plans to introduce a special law that would require explicit consent from a data subject or approval from an independent committee to view, copy or utilize high-risk sensitive information even if a search and seizure warrant has been issued.

--IANS

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