Lee Jun-seok: "Incumbent Lawmaker May Be Nominated as Gyeongnam Governor Candidate in Next Year's Local Elections"

People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok is speaking at the 'Meeting with Gyeongnam Journalists' held on the 3rd at the Gyeongnam Provincial Council's main conference room.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters reporters Kim Yong-woo and Lee Sang-hyun] Regarding the vacant candidate for Governor of Gyeongnam Province, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, expressed that incumbent lawmakers could also be nominated in next year’s local elections.

At a meeting with Gyeongnam journalists held at the Gyeongnam Provincial Council on the 3rd, Lee mentioned the possibility of nominating incumbent lawmakers, stating, “There is no provision in the party constitution or regulations that excludes incumbent lawmakers from nomination.”

Lee emphasized, “The environment for local elections is expected to change significantly after next year’s presidential election. Even incumbent lawmakers will not face major penalties if they are selected as the optimal candidate through a fair competition process.”

Regarding policies on local decentralization such as relocating public institutions to innovation cities, Lee said, “I think it is a half-success.”

He pointed out, “Personally, I think there has been no additional synergy effect in the region after the relocation of public institutions or industries.”

He also stated, “From the perspective of comparative advantage, in the case of Gyeongnam, both the east-west and north-south axes lack secured metropolitan transportation infrastructure, causing difficulties in some areas. Our party will work to secure budgets and include various ideas in the presidential election pledges to address these issues.”

Regarding the Dongnam region mega-city (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) and the Gadeokdo New Airport, Lee said, “In the case of the mega-city, forming a large zone like the metropolitan area in the Bu-Ul-Gyeong region can be a very important policy to create synergy effects. However, conversely, there is concern about the hollowing-out phenomenon experienced by peripheral areas as bedroom towns of the metropolitan area.”

He conveyed concerns to Gyeongnam Province, saying, “I hope Gyeongnam prepares good measures against the hollowing-out side effects that may arise compared to the benefits gained from economic zone integration. When the mega-city zone is formed, areas like western Gyeongnam are geographically distant to be linked with the Bu-Ul-Gyeong mega-city zone, so it would be good to harmonize well through appropriate transportation measures and by discovering specialized industries suitable for the Jinju area or western Gyeongnam region.”

He also shared his views on the Gadeokdo New Airport.

Lee said, “As stated in Busan, SOC projects should not be obsessed with simply meeting cost-benefit ratios and minimizing costs. They must proceed in a way that can produce proper synergy effects and results. When I visited the planned site for the new airport, I requested that although the current design is based on one runway, the location and design should be planned with two runways in mind for the future.”

Regarding the issue of balanced regional development, Lee said, “Ultimately, local issues depend on the extent to which local governments exercise autonomy and self-governance. For that, sufficient budget must be guaranteed.”

He added, “Currently, due to our tax revenue structure, a significant portion of national taxes is distributed to local governments, which inevitably increases the influence of the central government. This aspect must naturally be improved.”

He continued, “Gyeongnam residents experienced about three years of administrative vacancy from immediately after the last local election. For the next election, there is an expectation that voters will carefully examine local pledges and verify the morality of each candidate.”

Lee Jun-seok visited Changwon on this day to attend to the livelihoods and economy of Gyeongnam, which have been strained due to the gubernatorial vacancy and the spread of COVID-19.

At 10 a.m., Lee paid respects at the National 3·15 Democratic Cemetery, then moved to the 6th-floor conference room of the Changwon Convention Center for an “Emergency Meeting to Support Gyeongnam Provincial Administration.”

Accompanying Lee were Seo Beom-su, chief of staff to the party leader; Kim Cheol-geun, director of political affairs; Yang Jun-woo, spokesperson; central party leadership; and local party chairpersons including Lee Dal-gon (Changwon Jinhae District), Kang Ki-yoon (Gyeongnam Changwon Seongsan District), Choi Hyung-doo (Changwon Masanhappo District), and Hwang Bo-gil, floor leader of the People Power Party in the Gyeongnam Provincial Council.

In the afternoon, Lee visited Masan Fish Market in Masanhappo District, Changwon, where he held a meeting with key members of the merchants’ association and directly heard the difficulties faced by market merchants suffering from the spread of COVID-19.

He then planned to visit the Hanjin Shipping Promotion Center in Angol-dong, Jinhae District, Changwon, to check on the progress of the ‘Jinhae New Port’ project, a national project worth about 12 trillion won, the largest in Gyeongnam’s history.

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