Yeom Tae-young: "Approval Rating Drop Due to Ruling Party Leadership's Lack of 'Field' Understanding... Must Support Moon Administration's Details"

Interview with Yeom Tae-young, Suwon Mayor and Democratic Party Supreme Council Candidate
"Good politics without detail leads to wrong directions... Democratic Party leadership needs people who know the field"

Yeom Tae-young, Mayor of Suwon./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Won Dara] "At this rate, whether it's real estate or the Korean New Deal, everything will fail. The biggest problem with the current Democratic Party is that it cannot support the details of the Moon Jae-in administration."

On the 20th, Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young said in an interview with Asia Economy, when asked about the "cause of the Democratic Party's declining approval ratings," "Because the Democratic Party leadership does not understand the field." Mayor Yeom is the only basic local government head running in the August 29 Democratic Party leadership election and a candidate for the Democratic Party Supreme Council member. He has been responsible for Suwon city administration for the past 10 years (three terms).

Regarding recent real estate legislation, Mayor Yeom said, "I understand the intention to control housing prices, but there is an aspect of not listening to the voices from the field. No matter how good the politics are, the process of forming party policies must reflect the voices from the field and tell stories that fit the field." He added, "There is a need to observe the effects further," but explained, "Unlike the recently passed real estate tax law in the National Assembly, there are voices in the field saying that capital gains tax should be lowered as much as possible and holding tax should be raised, so that people with multiple houses can put them on the market."

Regarding the 'Green New Deal,' proposed by the Moon Jae-in administration as the next economic growth engine, he said, "When listening to the voices from the field, many ask what exactly the Korean New Deal is." He criticized, "At this rate, the central government is likely to present existing policies with just a change of title. It will be no different from the 'Saemaul Undong' (New Village Movement)." He continued, "The Green New Deal is not a centralized policy like nuclear power generation but an energy decentralization policy." He said, "President Moon Jae-in has already pointed out this issue. When he said he would implement the Korean New Deal, he said it should be region-centered. If local governments create successful cases, they should be expanded, but I believe the central government will not change the existing methods at all."

He also said, "Signs of this have already been detected in the 52-hour workweek and minimum wage policies," emphasizing, "If rough policies that do not understand the field are repeated, no matter how good the politics are, if they do not fit the field, they will go in the wrong direction." He also lamented, "Regarding the designation of flood disaster areas, the recent heavy rain was localized, so why can't designations be made at the township or village level? That does not fit the field."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding his decision to run for Supreme Council member, Mayor Yeom said, "It was because I thought, how long should the voices from the field be regarded as mere 'complaints'?" Early in his candidacy, some lawmakers said it would be impossible because "there has never been a precedent of a basic local government head becoming a Supreme Council member." However, he emphasized that reflecting the voices of basic local governments could exert more detailed influence in the next local and presidential elections.

Meanwhile, Mayor Yeom is known as the "Shorts Mayor" and the "Pregnant Mayor." Despite encouraging wearing shorts in summer, when employees did not wear them well, he held a "shorts runway" in the lobby of Suwon City Hall. To implement policies suitable for Suwon, which has a high birth rate, he commuted and worked by bus wearing a maternity belt weighing over 7kg. Mayor Yeom said, "Recently, Father Song Ki-in, who is called President Moon's 'spiritual mentor,' also declared his support," adding, "I will regain the Democratic Party's score with details from the field."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.