Seoul, June 1 As the South Korean presidential election loomed just two days away, candidates on Sunday pressed on with their final efforts to consolidate their support base and persuade swing voters.
Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party campaigned in his hometown of Andong, approximately 190 kilometres southeast of Seoul, before meeting with voters across the wider Gyeongsang region, Yonhap news agency reported.
He apparently hoped to win over even a small number of voters in the area, a traditional stronghold for conservative candidates where his party typically has little support.
Speaking at a rally in his native Andong, Lee underscored the city's profound personal significance, saying "Andong is where I began and end."
He began the rally with a silent tribute to the victims of a Navy patrol aircraft crash in Pohang, about 270 kilometres southeast of Seoul.
Earlier in the day, Lee vowed to ensure "fair treatment" for patriots and veterans who dedicated themselves to defending the country.
"The fundamental duty of the state is to uphold patriotism in an honorable manner," he wrote on his Facebook page. "I will establish independence, national defense and democracy as the three pillars of our support for them to improve their recognition and treatment as well as honor them with the due respect they deserve," he said, vowing to expand medical services and provide better financial support for them.
Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party campaigned in the wider Seoul area on Sunday, starting in Gwanggyo New Town, Gyeonggi Province, in an effort to consolidate support in the region where he formerly served as governor.
Kim stressed what he described as his moral high ground compared with Lee, saying, "If someone who is sure to be put behind bars became president, this country will turn into a haven for criminals."
"Only your vote can set the country on the right path and build a just democracy," he said.
Lee Jun-seok of the minor conservative New Reform Party also campaigned at Dongtan Lake Park in Hwaseong in Suwon, 33 kilometres south of Seoul, making a final push to win over voters. He is expected to launch a rally in Seoul later in the day.
On his Facebook page, Lee reiterated that he will complete the race without unifying candidacies with Kim.
"I have persevered to this day, breaking through the ridicule and sarcasm that I wouldn't finish the race," he said. "There is a clear reason why I've come this far and it is because of the dream to create politics where voices of the younger generation are heard and due to the spirit of the times to build a political faction, however small, that is strong and never yields to the entrenched two-party system."
South Korea will elect a new president on Tuesday after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.
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