Jang Dong-hyuk heads to Busan, expanding public campaign for 'voting rights protection'

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk is intensifying his public outreach, with a planned visit to Busan on July 12 to attend a rally focused on protecting voting rights following the June 3 local election ballot shortage. This marks his second regional rally outside of Seoul, following a similar event in Incheon, signaling a strategic move to rally support amidst pressure to resign after the party's election defeat.

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I'm visiting the Olympic Park almost every day these days. The Olympic Park has become a beautiful classroom of democracy.

Jang's itinerary includes a youth gathering at the Busan City Party headquarters before heading to the rally at Seomyeon Heart Square in Busan's Jin-gu district. He is also coordinating a visit to Gwangju for July 15. This follows his active participation in a rally in Incheon on July 8, which was his first regional appearance outside the Seoul Olympic Park venue. A planned visit to Daegu was postponed, making Busan his second major regional stop.

Jang has been a consistent presence at the Olympic Park rallies, even stating on July 10 at a forum on the infringement of voting rights that the park had become a "beautiful classroom of democracy." He also publicly promised to visit Gimhae in Gyeongsangnam-do soon, responding to a parent's request. A key party official explained that Jang's direct participation in these events, rather than organizing them, is to amplify the voices of citizens.

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We are currently focusing on ensuring that the issue of infringement of voting rights due to the ballot shortage is not simply glossed over.

Jang is demanding a special prosecutor appointed by the opposition, the abolition of early voting, reform of the election commission, and a new general election. However, his public campaign is viewed differently within and outside the party. Some interpret it as a direct challenge to the resignation pressure and an effort to consolidate support among the party's hardline base, while others criticize it as "self-serving politics" aimed at retaining his leadership position. There is also a sentiment that the call for a new general election lacks broad consensus within the party, with few lawmakers expected to actively support it.

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If we consider the priorities, the party leadership is concentrating on the issue of infringement of citizens' basic rights due to the infringement of voting rights.