'Busanhaeng' Kim Young-chun: "Expedite Groundbreaking of Gadeokdo New Airport... Will Revive Party Momentum"

Kim Young-chun, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Dong-joo Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Kim Young-chun, Secretary General of the National Assembly, declared his 'Busan-bound' campaign, saying he will "revive the dwindling flame of the Democratic Party of Korea in Busan." Secretary General Kim emphasized that he will promptly commence construction of the Gadeokdo New Airport, which had been stalled due to shackles imposed by former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, calling it a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for the citizens of Busan.

On the 28th, in a post titled "Resigning from the Position of Secretary General of the National Assembly" on his Facebook, he said, "I know many people are curious whether I will officially declare my candidacy as the ruling party's Busan mayoral candidate in the April 7 by-election next year," adding, "I will not hesitate to fulfill the role given to me for the reconstruction and development of Busan. To do so, I will first resign from the position of Secretary General of the National Assembly."

He pledged, "I will return to Busan. There, I will revive the dwindling flame of our party," and added, "I will continue the relay race to achieve the legacy inherited since former President Roh Moo-hyun, which is decentralization and overcoming regionalism."

Secretary General Kim set the 'Southeast New Airport' as a key task. He stressed, "The Gadeokdo New Airport, a long-cherished wish of Busan citizens and the cornerstone of Busan's reconstruction, must be promptly commenced," and said, "We must enact a special law for the Gadeokdo New Airport. I will devote all my efforts to that task."

He continued, "This is also the legacy of former President Roh. Nevertheless, the reason this issue has not progressed for a long time was due to the shackles imposed by the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations," adding, "It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the people of Busan."

Regarding his tenure as Secretary General of the National Assembly, he self-assessed, "As Secretary General, I introduced the video conferencing system to the National Assembly for the first time and made every effort to support non-face-to-face legislative activities. I also improved personnel issues in the National Assembly Secretariat, where seniority was the norm, by appointing the first female senior expert committee member from the open competitive recruitment."

Meanwhile, Secretary General Kim is a three-term veteran who served as the first Minister of Oceans and Fisheries under the Moon Jae-in administration. In the 21st general election, he was defeated by Seo Byung-soo of the People Power Party, a former Busan mayor, but was appointed Secretary General of the National Assembly last June. After his retirement ceremony at the National Assembly on this day, Kim plans to begin full-scale preparations for the Busan mayoral election campaign.

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