The Progressive Party’s Gyeongnam chapter held a kickoff rally at Gyeongnam MBC Hall on the 11th, formally launching its local election campaign and pledging to secure victory.
Party members, candidates and representatives of local progressive civic groups attended the event. Forty-seven candidates took the stage to voice their commitments, including gubernatorial candidate Jeon Hee-young and mayoral candidates Park Bong-yeol of Gimhae and Ryu Jae-su of Jinju.
The slate comprises 18 provincial council candidates, 16 municipal council candidates, one regional proportional candidate and nine local proportional candidates.
In their candidate manifesto, the Gyeongnam chapter declared it would “open a new era of progressive politics” through success in the local elections and emphasized implementing people-centered policies that prioritize workers, farmers and ordinary residents.
The party underscored the need to reform the political structure, saying it aims to “change residents’ lives that have been neglected under the two‑party system.”
Park Bong-yeol, chair of the Gyeongnam chapter, opened his address by saying, “The Progressive Party places the interests of the people first. Let us devote the remaining roughly 50 days to a campaign that serves residents.”
National Assembly member Jeong Hye-gyeong, delivering words of encouragement, urged supporters to consolidate for victory: “The Progressive Party must drive political change by enabling direct civic participation.”
In their resolution, the candidates pledged to build a Gyeongnam where labor is respected; to address the rural depopulation crisis and revive the local economy; and to overcome the two‑party system by realizing direct, resident-led governance.
The Progressive Party’s Gyeongnam chapter framed a potential election win not merely as a party triumph but as the realization of suppressed public sentiment and a demand for change, pledging to usher in a new era of progressive politics in Gyeongnam.
