Gwangju Military Airport Relocation Site, Residents Indifferent

It was confirmed that residents in villages near the planned military airport relocation site have little interest in the results of the party convention or the current political situation.

Due to the high proportion of elderly people in the villages, they are not well-informed about current affairs, and residents sometimes replied, "Grandmothers don't know."

Residents said, "No. Everything is tied up."

This is interpreted as an administrative measure to prevent land price increases at the planned airport site.

One resident said, "It's good that the noisy fighter jets are leaving, but what else is there?"

Despite development prospects, residents remained surprisingly calm and unexcited.

One resident said, "Gwangju always likes the Democratic Party a lot," expressing a positive perception of the party in general.

It is analyzed that a sense of belonging to the Democratic Party, along with vague perceptions of the candidate's age and reformist tendencies, rather than a clear understanding of a specific candidate, influenced the support.

Even the only real estate agency was closed on the weekend, showing a quiet scene. Reporter Kang Jin-gu said, "We went there around 5 PM on Saturday. Yes. But the door was locked."

Unlike the Seoul metropolitan area, there is no speculative fervor here at all.

Residents tended to perceive candidate Kim Min-seok as younger than he actually is. Reporter Kang Jin-gu pointed out the residents' misunderstanding, saying, "He looks older than Jeong Cheong-rae."

Some residents were not accurately aware of whether Kim Min-seok had experience as a party leader, which is analyzed as one reason for the reduced expectations for the candidate.

This young person did not even know about the airport relocation or the name of party leader Kim Min-seok, highlighting the palpable political indifference in the field.

The reporting team explained the situation, saying, "This is the village opposite the military airport. The airport will be relocated, and the president plans to establish a semiconductor factory here."

This measure appears to have been implemented to prevent the inflow of speculative forces due to the airport relocation and the plan to establish a semiconductor factory.

This shows a cross-section of a younger generation that is uninterested in not only regional development issues but also political issues in general.

Fortunately, the young person replied, "Shincheonji is taught in Gwangju, but no one has ever reached out to me or my friends," indicating that there are currently no Shincheonji followers in their immediate vicinity.

The reporting team analyzed that young people in their 20s nowadays rarely watch television or mass media, and instead obtain information by watching only their favorite YouTube channels. This leads to young people being trapped in algorithms, deepening confirmation bias and increasing political indifference, they pointed out.

It was mentioned that solving this political indifference among young people is an important task for the Democratic Party.

This was emphasized as a societal problem that cannot be attributed solely to young people.

It was warned that this indifference among young people harbors the potential for exploitation by external groups like Shincheonji.

In the field, residents' perceived impact of the Honam Mega Project was low.

Through the reaction of a farmer who has lived there for 40 years, it was reconfirmed that the claim that the party convention results reflect the will of the entire Honam region differs from the actual indifference on the ground.

The reporter said, "Nevertheless, I met an elderly person who was somewhat interested in current affairs," but this elder also lived a life focused on farming rather than politics.

It was confirmed that despite being a resident for over 40 years, their interest in political issues was low.

One resident expressed hope for change, saying, "It will change a lot again. It will get better."

There were high expectations for specific benefits such as economic revitalization and job creation, and a hopeful perception of overall regional change.

One resident said, "I'm just a Democrat, whoever it is, it'll just happen," showing low awareness of the party convention results.

This suggests a strong perception that any Democratic Party candidate is acceptable, and little interest in the convention process or results themselves.

They commented, "It definitely seems to contain memories of Ahn Cheol-soo's betrayal."

Residents still tended to react unfavorably to figures who hold a critical view of the Democratic Party.

Residents held a negative view of criticizing the president just over a year into the current administration's term. The reporter conveyed residents' opinions, saying, "The very idea of already turning away after just over a year since the election..."

This shows that there is a strong sentiment that the president should be supported for now.