Lee Gaeho: "A New Era for the Southern Region"...Runs for Mayor of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City

Press conference held at Jeollanam-do Provincial Council on the 10th to declare candidacy
Sets direction for locally led, nationally balanced development
Plans to foster strategic industries in the Gwangju area and eastern, western, southern, and central South Jeolla
Building growth momentum by nurturing advanced industries such as energy and AI

Assemblyman Lee Gaeho held a press conference at 10:30 a.m. on the 10th in the Choui Room of the Jeollanam-do Provincial Council and announced his candidacy for the mayoral election of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City. Reporter Sim Jinseok

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Gaeho (representing Damyang, Hampyeong, Yeonggwang, and Jangseong in South Jeolla Province) officially declared his candidacy for mayor of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, putting forward “Again, Honam!” as his core campaign slogan.

At a press conference held at 10:30 a.m. on the 10th in the Choui Room of the Jeollanam-do Provincial Council, Assemblyman Lee threw his hat into the ring, stating, “I will open an era for the southern region that leads nationally balanced development driven by local governments.”

Assemblyman Lee emphasized, “After asking myself over the course of 45 years of experience in administration and politics, I stand here with a sense of mission that says ‘it is possible,’” adding, “Gwangju’s growth plates are closing, and South Jeolla Province is facing a crisis of population aging.”

He went on to say, “We must pursue innovative change by combining Gwangju’s innovation capacity and South Jeolla’s limitless potential into one, responding to the capital region’s unipolar dominance and building the capital of southern Korea.”

He also expressed his intention to firmly establish the central axis of administrative integration and nationally balanced development by promoting three key priority tasks — securing energy sovereignty, introducing a differentiated electricity rate system, and attracting 20% of the 150 trillion won National Growth Fund — along with four regional development strategies: the Gwangju area (future strategic industries), the eastern area (global economic and cultural hub), the southwest and central areas (new growth in energy and bio), and rural and fishing communities (guaranteeing income and quality of life).

Assemblyman Lee explained, “Building transmission towers to send electricity to the Seoul metropolitan area is not a cure-all,” and added, “The era in which the capital region has benefited at the expense of the provinces must come to an end. The government must strategically allocate the semiconductor industry to regional areas.”

He continued, “Through the differentiated electricity rate system introduced under the Special Act on the Promotion of Distributed Energy, I will open an era in which companies establish their headquarters and build factories in regional areas,” adding, “We will attract the National Growth Fund and foster offshore wind power and related industries.”

He further stated, “In Gwangju, we will attract artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and a win-win post-processing semiconductor foundry to create quality jobs,” and added, “Focusing on Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang, we will build petroleum, chemical, and steel industry clusters and eco-friendly cities.”

In addition, he pledged, “We will complete an RE100-exclusive industrial complex in the southwest region and use industrial electricity as a competitive edge to draw companies into the region. Centered on Mokpo New Port, we will completely overhaul the underdeveloped fisheries industry into a high value-added industry,” adding, “We will introduce a ‘sunlight and wind pension’ and fully implement a basic income policy for rural and fishing communities to strengthen the income safety net in those areas.”

Finally, he added, “We must turn the locally led regional balanced development strategy of the five hubs and three special zones being pursued by the Lee Jaemyung administration into a growth momentum for South Jeolla and Gwangju,” and said, “I will achieve a warm integration that looks up to the highest places from the very lowest.”

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