PPP's Kim pledges on R&D as he tours Gyeongsang-do region for 3rd straight day

Up next we turn to the conservative camp whose contender remains in the southeastern part of the country as well.

For more I have my colleague Kim Do-yeon joining me live.

Do-yeon welcome.

So Kim Moon-soo has spoken about support for science?

That's right, Sun-hee, as you said Kim is currently in Gyeongsangnam-do Province meaning he's been in the southeast region for the third day in a row.

The cities that he's visited all have their own specialized industries with a focus on science and technology.

And one key message from him earlier today came when he was at Korea AeroSpace Administration in Sacheon saying that he will promote the position of the minister of science and technology to deputy prime minister.

Take a listen.

"Why do we need a deputy prime minister for science? It's because it shows the nation's will, which means budget and power, and this is the only way to yield results. Anything said other than this doesn't matter."

During a visit to Doosan Enerbility, Kim praised the company's resilience through Korea's nuclear phase-out and pledged full support if elected president—especially in advancing SMR technology and leaving politics out of industries.

Of course, Doosan is the company for the Czech Republic's Dukovany power plant project.

Kim Moon-soo says without science and technology, there is no future—adding that while it may not bring in votes, any leader who cares about Korea's long-term growth must invest heavily in the field.

He also revealed his pledge on science and research earlier today which included measures to support research and development in general but one aspect that stood out was his pledge to send a man to the moon in 2032 and have a Mars rover project by 2045.

Right some ambitious pledges for the next frontier.

Before you go Do-yeon do tell us a bit more about his campaign trail.

Right, Sun-hee

So take a look at this map

Kim started off in Seoul as well then went southward, stopping by Daejeon and ending up in Daegu on the first day.

He's gone farther south since then and as we spoke about, he hit small cities today the darker purple lines.

Now, as we have been talking about these areas are typically known as a conservative stronghold.

To give you a reference, throughout the Gyeongsang-do region, there are 65 congressional districts and during last year's general election, only six parliamentary seats were won by the liberal party.

That said, a lot has happened since the general election, and Kim could be trying to solidify his supporter base first, then heading to other regions.

All right Do-yeon thank you for that coverage from the conservative camp.