Former Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok, Will He Raise the Democratic Party's Presidential Flag?

Amid the attendance of former Chief Im Jong-seok (current Special Advisor for Foreign Affairs and Security to the President), the 'National Si-Gun-Gu Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Forum' was held on the 16th at Sowol Art Hall in Seongdong-gu, his former constituency, with Seongdong-gu Mayor Jung Won-oh and Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young, drawing attention to the background of the event and analysis of its significance as a forward base for presidential candidate primaries.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Former Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok (Special Advisor for Foreign Affairs and Security) appears to have entered the preparatory stage for a presidential bid, drawing attention.

On the afternoon of the 16th, Im held a preparatory meeting for the National Si-Gun-Gu Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Forum at Sowol Art Hall in Seongdong-gu, his former electoral district, centered around close aides including Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, who was his aide during his time as a member of the National Assembly.

This meeting was reportedly formed following the recent enforcement on March 9 of the revised Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, amended last December, which recognizes basic local governments as key agents in promoting inter-Korean exchanges.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu and chair of the forum’s preparatory committee, stated, “We are launching a policy consultation body to discover inter-Korean exchange policy tasks at the national Si-Gun-Gu level and to build cooperative relationships nationwide. We plan to promote the discovery of exchange projects between North and South Korean cities and the selection of joint projects in the future.”

The forum’s inaugural general meeting is being organized with Jeong Won-oh as the preparatory committee chair, Kim Byeong-nae, Mayor of Nam-gu, Gwangju, as secretary-general, and 10 heads of local governments participating as preparatory committee members. Currently, including the preparatory committee, 38 heads of basic local governments nationwide have joined the forum.

Notably, at the inaugural general meeting, besides the 38 local governments, Special Advisor for Foreign Affairs and Security Im Jong-seok and Vice Minister of Unification Seo Ho participated as invited guests, attracting attention.

Additionally, Im Jong-seok and the local government heads held a unification talk aimed at building a North-South peace process.

Along with this, Yeom Tae-young, Mayor of Suwon and standing representative, Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, and Hwang Myung-seon, Mayor of Nonsan, were appointed as co-representatives, with Kim Byeong-nae, Mayor of Nam-gu, Gwangju, elected as secretary-general.

The National Si-Gun-Gu Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Forum was founded with the purpose of contributing to peace on the Korean Peninsula by local government heads nationwide and becoming key players in peaceful exchanges between North and South Korean cities. The participating local government heads expressed their intention to prepare inter-city exchange and cooperation projects suited to regional characteristics through regular meetings for joint research and discussion.

On this day, Special Advisor for Foreign Affairs and Security Im Jong-seok emphasized, “Inter-Korean exchange and cooperation should be able to continue with relatively less influence from international circumstances or relations between the central governments of North and South Korea. There is a need for a government operation principle that actively supports and advises autonomous exchange and cooperation.”

Yeom Tae-young, standing representative of the forum, said, “This inter-Korean exchange and cooperation will play a significant role in accelerating the path to unification and will be an important opportunity to rapidly build an emotional, cultural, and economic community between North and South Korea.”

Jeong Won-oh, chair of the forum’s preparatory committee, stated, “I consider it very meaningful that the forum was formed at a time when it has become possible to strengthen exchange and cooperation systems at the local government level and activate exchanges between North and South Korean cities. Starting with the inaugural general meeting, I hope our forum can serve as a catalyst for an era of coexistence, prosperity, and peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

Accordingly, it appears that former Presidential Chief of Staff Im has established a forward base for entering the Democratic Party’s presidential primary, increasing the likelihood of him becoming a presidential contender.

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