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."

Land transactions in the area designated as the planned military airport relocation site are effectively completely restricted. Residents said, "No. Everything is tied up."

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

Residents did not express special expectations regarding the military airport relocation; instead, their primary concern was solving the fighter jet noise problem. 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.

Residents in the Gwangju area showed strong support for the Democratic Party. 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.

The village at the planned military airport relocation site maintains a calm atmosphere due to low development expectations. 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.

An interview with a young person in their 20s residing in the planned military airport relocation site confirmed the severe indifference of young people to current affairs and political issues. Reporter Kang Jin-gu said, "I was able to confirm the political indifference of people in their 20s directly in the field."

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.

All land transactions have been halted in the village opposite the military airport. 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.

A young person in their 20s interviewed by the reporting team was completely unaware of the semiconductor factory bid, saying, "This is the first I'm hearing of it." Indifference to political and current affairs issues was significant, as the holding of the Democratic Party convention and awareness of candidate Kim Min-seok were also not confirmed.

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

The reporting team asked the young person if they had ever been offered to study Shincheonji doctrine or if any of their friends were involved with Shincheonji, confirming concerns about exposure to Shincheonji proselytizing activities.

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.

The reporting team diagnosed that young people tend to become indifferent to politics due to a lack of opportunities for social participation and personal achievement. 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.

The reporting team pointed out that interpreting the Honam region's residents as having collectively bloc-voted for candidate Kim Min-seok due to the Honam Mega Project is a misdiagnosis. 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.

Residents in villages near the planned Gwangju military airport relocation site showed little knowledge and an indifferent reaction to the Democratic Party's convention results and new leader. 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.

Residents were aware of the news of the military airport relocation and the semiconductor factory bid, expressing positive expectations for regional development. 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.

Among Democratic Party supporters, there was an attitude of attributing greater significance to 'being from the same Democratic Party' rather than a specific candidate being elected. 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.

The reporter analyzed that memories of 'betrayal,' similar to the past Ahn Cheol-soo case, seemed to be reflected in residents' evaluation of writer Yoo Shi-min. 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.