Kwon Hyang-yeop, National Assembly Preliminary Candidate, Announces 5 Major Pledges

Leading the Way to 'Regain Our Region's Status'

Establishment of Seomjingang Watershed Environmental Office, Installation of Gwangyang Tax Office, etc.

Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kwon Hyang-yeop, running for the Suncheon-Gwangyang-Gokseong-Gurye (B) district, announced five major pledges to restore the status of our region.

The pledges include ▲establishing the Seomjin River Basin Environmental Office ▲returning Gwangyang’s only national treasure, the Jungheungsanseong Twin Lion Stone Lantern, to its original place ▲setting up the Gwangyang Tax Office ▲revising the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident Special Act ▲upgrading the Gwangyang and Gurye offices of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service. These aim to enhance the historical and economic value of our region and improve the quality of life for residents.

2020 Seomjin River Flood Damage Photo [Photo provided by Kwon Hyang-yeop Preliminary Candidate Public Relations Office]

First, ▲the establishment of the Seomjin River Basin Environmental Office was proposed by candidate Kwon last December during his press conference announcing his run for the National Assembly as a joint pledge of candidates from the eastern Jeonnam region.

The Seomjin River is the fourth largest river in South Korea, flowing through three provinces?Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, and Gyeongnam?and 15 cities and counties. Currently, the environmental management and watershed management of the Seomjin River are handled by the Yeongsan River Basin Environmental Office.

The Yeongsan River Basin Environmental Office oversees a wide area including Gwangju, Jeju, Jeonnam and Jeonbuk provinces, and parts of Gyeongnam, covering the Seomjin, Yeongsan, and Tamjin Rivers. Due to this broad jurisdiction, there have been ongoing criticisms about inadequate management of the Seomjin River Basin.

Candidate Kwon emphasized, “The Seomjin River is the living space of our local people who have lived here for generations. It is a major source of drinking water, agricultural and industrial water, and it holds diverse fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems that must be protected and preserved.

Especially, the catastrophic flood damage caused by the total mismanagement of the Seomjin River Dam and downstream rivers during the heavy rains in August 2020, which resulted in enormous loss of life, property damage, and trauma, must never happen again. Therefore, it is urgent to establish the Seomjin River Basin Environmental Office to manage environmental and watershed tasks tailored to the Seomjin River’s conditions,” he stressed.

Next, candidate Kwon promised to actively pursue ▲returning the Jungheungsanseong Twin Lion Stone Lantern, Gwangyang’s only national treasure, to its original place and ▲revising the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident Special Act.

He pledged to lead efforts to reclaim our cultural heritage, which was taken during the dark period of Japanese colonial rule and has not returned home for nearly 100 years, and to correct the distorted and unfair history surrounding the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident, which occurred 75 years ago and still lacks truth investigation, restoration of victims’ honor, and substantial compensation.

Furthermore, candidate Kwon promised, “I will devote all efforts to upgrading government agencies’ organizational structures that are neither equitable compared to other cities and counties nor fitting for our region’s external status.”

To this end, he stated, “I will support upgrading the current Gwangyang and Gurye branches of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service to Gwangyang and Gurye offices, respectively, and promote the elevation of the Gwangyang branch of the Suncheon Tax Office to the Gwangyang Tax Office, so that residents can handle all administrative tasks locally without spending time and money traveling to other areas.”

Candidate Kwon expressed strong determination, saying, “The five pledges to restore our region’s status have been repeatedly raised in past elections or discussed for a long time, so they may not be seen as novel promises. However, the clear fact is that despite being long-standing local demands, not a single one has been satisfactorily resolved to date, causing ongoing inconvenience and anxiety among residents.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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