People Power Party Gyeongnam University Student Committee: "Kim Kyungsoo Should Repent to Residents Before Running for Office"

Condemnation of Democratic Party's Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Candidacy Announcement

University students from the Gyeongsangnam-do region affiliated with the People Power Party strongly criticized former Local Era Committee Chairman Kim Kyungsoo, who was nominated as the sole candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea for Gyeongsangnam-do governor in the 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections.

On March 11, the University Student Committee of the People Power Party's Gyeongnam Provincial Party held a press conference at the briefing room of the Gyeongsangnam-do Council, declaring, "We strongly condemn former Local Era Committee Chairman Kim Kyungsoo's announcement of candidacy for Gyeongsangnam-do governor."

The Provincial Party's University Student Committee pointed out, "Former Chairman Kim's announcement is not a declaration of vision for the development of Gyeongsangnam-do. Rather, it is the culmination of blatant pre-election campaigning, which he conducted over several months while leveraging his status as the head of a national body as he traveled throughout the province. It is nothing more than the conclusion of a political charade that has deceived the residents of Gyeongsangnam-do."

The People Power Party Gyeongnam Provincial College Committee is holding a press conference condemning former Provincial Autonomy Committee Chairman Kim Kyungsoo's candidacy for the 9th Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections for Gyeongnam Governor. Photo by Se-ryeong Lee

They argued that during his tenure as Chairman of the Presidential Local Era Committee, Kim Kyungsoo traveled around the province holding policy meetings and special lectures for university students, claiming these were "irregular pre-election campaigns designed to mobilize organizations and display influence for the next local elections." They further criticized, "We condemn the act of abusing a national public office as a tool for personal political rehabilitation."

The committee also referenced the "Druking Comment Manipulation Case," for which Kim Kyungsoo was convicted and served a prison sentence, stating, "His acts of manipulating public opinion to influence the presidential election result left an indelible stain on the pride of Gyeongsangnam-do."

The committee noted, "He was detained for 77 days in the first trial, and after losing his position, Gyeongsangnam-do residents had to endure an unstable administration without an elected governor for a total of 422 days, including 346 days after his removal from office." They added, "For the person who brought the provincial government to a halt to now seek the governorship again without even apologizing is the height of arrogance."

They continued, "Democracy teaches fairness in process and responsibility for outcomes, but in Kim Kyungsoo's political path, there is only shortcut in the process and evasion of responsibility for the outcome." They emphasized, "Leaving the shameless precedent that anyone with power can return to public office even after breaking the law is like poisoning the future of politics for the next generation."

The committee asserted, "While university students in Gyeongsangnam-do stayed up all night submitting assignments and writing self-introductions, Kim Kyungsoo spent those nights manipulating public sentiment. We absolutely cannot tolerate the attempt to make the history of those crimes a new starting signal for his return in Gyeongsangnam-do."

They concluded, "If Kim Kyungsoo truly loves Gyeongsangnam-do, he should sincerely repent for his past mistakes rather than reappearing to reopen the wounds of the residents. He must remember that this announcement of candidacy is nothing but another act trampling on the pride of Gyeongsangnam-do."

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