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Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is serving as acting president, greets participants at the 2025 Science and ICT Day ceremony held at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam District, Seoul, on April 21. / Source: Yonhap News

A senior Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker from the Honam region criticized acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s recent visit to Kia’s Gwangju plant, saying, “Why would someone responsible for running the country come to Gwangju and stir up anxiety?”

Though Han's April 15 visit was framed as a response to U.S. tariffs and a gesture of support for domestic industry, the DP viewed it as a symbolic move by a potential conservative presidential frontrunner into their political heartland.

On April 21, the Democratic Party intensified its offensive, increasingly treating Han as a potential presidential contender. DP interim leader Park Chan-dae said during a Supreme Council meeting, “Acting President Han seems to be preparing for a presidential bid, touring businesses across Honam and Yeongnam. He should immediately declare that he won't run and instead cooperate sincerely with investigations into the insurrection case.”

DP spokesperson Han Min-soo also condemned Han, saying, “He’s not only forgotten his duties, blinded by presidential ambition, but is using his current office as a springboard to the presidency—it's outrageous.”

Underlying the DP’s unease is the shifting sentiment in Honam, a region that traditionally delivered over 90% of its vote to progressive candidates. However, recent developments suggest that a landslide is no longer guaranteed. In the April 2 by-election for Damyang County in South Jeolla, Cho Kuk’s Rebuilding Korea Party candidate Jeong Chul-won won with 51.82% of the vote, signaling that Honam voters are no longer voting along party lines.

Meanwhile, sentiment in Honam appears to be warming to Han, a native of Jeonju in North Jeolla Province. According to a Korea Reputation Research Institute poll commissioned by Asia Today and conducted on April 18–19 among 2,002 adults nationwide (±2.2% margin of error, 95% confidence level), 27% of respondents in the Gwangju–Jeolla region rated Han’s job performance positively. That’s roughly one in four voters expressing approval.

While the DP currently holds the upper hand in the race, the emergence of a “Han Duck-soo boom” in Honam could shift the dynamics. In the last presidential election, Yoon Suk-yeol achieved the highest-ever vote share for a conservative candidate in the region—14.42% in North Jeolla, 12.72% in Gwangju, and 11.44% in South Jeolla.

Notably, aside from Jung Dong-young in 2007, every DP presidential nominee since 2002 has been a non-Honam native. This includes the party’s current frontrunner, Lee Jae-myung, who is from Andong, North Gyeongsang—possibly leaving Honam voters feeling overlooked.

DP Rep. Kim Young-bae said, “How united Honam voters are will serve as a key indicator in this election.” Another DP lawmaker added, “Han’s rise is a wake-up call—it shows Honam can turn its back and flip the entire race.”