Song Young-gil goes all-in on Honam, vows to be 'Kim Dae-jung's walking stick' for Democratic Party

Song Young-gil, a candidate for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited Haeuido in South Jeolla Province's Sinan-gun — the birthplace of the late former President Kim Dae-jung — on Thursday, pledging to become "a walking stick that protects the Democratic Party, a walking stick for the people and party members."

Song visited the memorial hall at Kim's birthplace and placed a walking stick he had brought from his constituency of Incheon Yeonsu as he made the remarks. It was already his fourth visit to the Honam region since he announced his candidacy for party leader on July 8, running on a platform of "restoring Honam politics." Accompanying him were Rep. Kim Young-ho, who is running for the party's supreme council, and Rep. Min Byeong-deok, the chief strategist of Song's campaign. According to campaign spokesperson Kang Min-seok, the late President Kim recruited Song — then a 37-year-old labor rights lawyer — into the Democratic Party as his first "fresh blood" pick.

At Haeuido, Song said that after Kim's accident in 1971, "the walking stick became the president's legs. He leaned on it to fight dictatorship, endure a death sentence, and achieve a change of government and overcome the IMF crisis. Now I will become that same kind of support."

He added that when the three-party merger of 1990 isolated Honam under the Roh Tae-woo government, Kim Dae-jung "kept building new parties and expanded his base through the 'New DJ Plan,' working step by step to broaden his reach and move eastward. That is the 'politics of Kim Dae-jung' that I learned," Song said. "It is the same as President Lee Jae Myung's 'structural majority' line."

"Reform is completed when it is defended, and a government becomes history when it continues," Song said. "The Democratic Party is in crisis right now. I will make the Lee Jae Myung government succeed and complete the reform through a second consecutive term." He also wrote in the guestbook at Kim's birthplace: "Restore livelihoods, unify the nation, carry on the spirit of Kim Dae-jung, make the Lee Jae Myung government succeed."

After leaving Haeuido, Song traveled to Gwangju, where he plans to walk "Roh Moo-hyun's Path" on Mudeungsan on Friday. Spokesperson Kang said Song would renew his pledge to recreate a "Song Young-gil wave" — echoing the "Roh wave" that the late former President Roh Moo-hyun ignited in Gwangju during the Democratic Party's open presidential primary in 2002.

Song plans to visit all 23 cities and counties across South Jeolla Province and Gwangju, including the Naro Space Center in his hometown of Goheung, up until the day before the party's Aug. 17 convention. "Starting today, I will put everything on the line for Honam for the remaining 10 days," he said. "On every day without a speech or debate event, I will walk the alleys and markets of Honam without exception."