Kim Dong-yeon Targets Yoon: "If You Talk Reform but Don't Relinquish Privileges, It's All a Show"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is speaking about major issues and provincial administration at the "New Year's Meeting with Residents" held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office on the 2nd. Photo by Gyeonggi Provincial Government

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, directly criticized that reform talk without relinquishing vested interests is "all nonsense and a show."

This appears to be aimed at President Yoon Suk-yeol's recent New Year's address. In his address, President Yoon emphasized, "We can no longer delay the 'three major reforms' of labor, education, and pensions, which determine the future of the Republic of Korea and future generations," and stressed, "A country obsessed with maintaining vested interests has no future."

At the New Year's meeting held on the 2nd at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Auditorium in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, Governor Kim said, "Before entering politics, I worked as a public official and talked a lot about reform, including labor, education, and pension reforms, and I have one feeling," adding, "It is truly right for the weak and struggling people to call for breaking the vested interest cartel, but if the powerful and wealthy say they want to break vested interests, it could easily become hypocrisy."

Furthermore, he argued, "If politicians want to claim breaking vested interests and advocate for reforms that break such vested interests, I believe that sincerity and driving force come when they first acknowledge that they themselves hold vested interests and first give them up."

He added, "I hope the residents each voice their opinions on whether this society is truly practicing proper democracy, and if proper reform is being carried out, whether those shouting to break vested interests are themselves vested interests."

He also said, "I hope all 14 million residents express their voices. Let's try to change Gyeonggi Province," and urged active opinion sharing, saying, "I hope that I and the provincial government employees also pledge that we are not just salaried workers but can work with a sense of fulfillment, passion, and joy in what we do."

Meanwhile, about 300 people, including 41 residents from various sectors such as businesspeople, industrial workers, transportation workers, sanitation workers, and people with disabilities, as well as provincial government employees, attended the New Year's meeting that day.

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