Mokpo Mayor Kim Jongsik Runs for Re-election... "I Will Open a Great Era for Mokpo"

Kim: "Uninterrupted Mokpo Development Is My Life's Final Mission"

Mokpo Mayor Kim Jong-sik, who announced his intention to run for re-election at a press conference on the 21st. Photo by Seunghyun Jeong

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Seunghyun] Kim Jongsik, Mayor of Mokpo City, Jeonnam, officially declared his candidacy through a press conference.

At the candidacy press conference held at 11 a.m. on the 21st in the Mokpo City Hall Situation Room, Mayor Kim opened with the preface, "A capable mayor who will develop Mokpo."

Mayor Kim stated, "We have firmly established four pillars for Mokpo's development, but we cannot stop here," emphasizing, "We must continue to advance and complete the great task of Mokpo's development."

He continued, "The 8th term of the local government is a crucial period to decide whether to move forward for Mokpo's future or to regress to the past," adding, "I regard uninterrupted development of Mokpo as my final mission and calling in life, and I want to complete the great construction of Mokpo," strongly expressing his intention to seek re-election.

He also emphasized, "Mokpo needs a competent mayor. The mayor's position cannot be led by enthusiasm alone. It requires policy-making ability, rich experience, a human network, and driving force," and explained his reason for running by saying, "Mokpo is creating change in its own way without following other cities. I will lead this bold journey."

On this day, Mayor Kim said, "Over the past four years, I have focused solely on Mokpo's change and development. Above all, I have devoted efforts to fostering three strategic industries?renewable energy, seafood products, and tourism?which are the food sources for the next 100 years," and stressed, "We have elevated the reputation of Yeohyang and successfully held Korea's first Literature Expo, leading to designation as a legal cultural city. There are only two local governments in Korea that are both tourism hub cities and cultural cities."

He cited the increase in Mokpo's urban brand value as the greatest achievement of the 7th term of the local government.

Mayor Kim added, "Based on this, we won the City Award for two consecutive years and achieved the remarkable feat of being recognized as the best city nationwide for business," and self-evaluated, "The Daeyang Industrial Complex is nearing 100% lease despite the adverse conditions of COVID-19, and we have significantly repaid debts, greatly improving fiscal soundness."

On this day, as a practical plan to open a great era for Mokpo, Mayor Kim emphasized, "I will pour my passion into accelerating the fostering of new growth engine industries, the future of Mokpo's economy, and advancing toward becoming a global tourism city with 15 million visitors."

He also expressed his ambition, saying, "I will industrialize and brand culture and arts to present large-scale cultural and artistic products every autumn," and "I will create an educational environment that satisfies both children and parents."

He further showed strong determination, stating, "To make Mokpo a city where citizens are happy, I will implement customized welfare policies such as expanding mobility rights for the disabled and building a welfare center for transportation workers, and improve citizens' quality of life by creating the Gatbawi Provincial Garden and a forest experience center for young children."

In particular, as a grand vision for a "Greater Mokpo," he proposed ▲ attracting excellent companies and creating 160,000 jobs through fostering future growth engine industries ▲ building a public medical hub city in the southwest region through a two-track approach of promoting the establishment of a medical school and university hospital and strengthening the capacity of Mokpo City Medical Center ▲ forming a metropolitan economic zone through administrative integration with Sinan County ▲ realizing a debt-free local government with "zero debt" ▲ laying the foundation for revitalizing the old downtown through the major renovation of Mokpo Station.

At the end of the press conference, Mayor Kim said, "Will we return to the past, or move toward the future? At this crucial time, I stand here with a resolute heart to devote my last passion to achieving the second opening of Mokpo," and vowed, "Together with the great citizens of Mokpo, I will surely complete the great era of Mokpo," appealing for unwavering support and encouragement.

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