Reform New Party Launches Gyeongnam Provincial Party ... "A New Wave for Gyeongnam"

On April 16, just 48 days before the 9th nationwide local elections, the Reform New Party officially established its Gyeongnam Provincial Party.

The Reform New Party held its inaugural convention for the Gyeongnam Provincial Party on April 16 at Hangukgwan, located in Changwon Sports Park, Seongsan-gu, Changwon.

The event was attended by Party Leader Lee Junseok, Floor Leader Chun Haram, Chairman of the Policy Committee Lee Jooyoung, Chairman of the Gyeongnam Provincial Party Foundation Preparation Committee Jeong Seongdong, Busan Mayoral Preliminary Candidate Jeong Ihan, Changwon Mayoral Preliminary Candidate Kang Myungsang, and former Chairman of Masan City Council Jeong Kwangsik, among others.

Kang Myungsang, reform party preliminary candidate for mayor of Changwon, Gyeongnam (far left), Lee Joon-seok, party leader, and Jung Seongdong, chairman of the Gyeongnam Party Committee, are taking a commemorative photo. [Photo by Se-ryeong Lee]

At the event, Party Leader Lee stated, "Everyone knows that political change is needed in Gyeongnam," adding, "Although politics in the Gyeongnam region has achieved the integration of Masan, Changwon, and Jinhae, it has failed to create something that could generate greater government support or synergistic effects after the integration. As a result, I believe Gyeongnam politics has become a barren land."

He continued, "I hope the Reform New Party Gyeongnam Provincial Party will operate with dynamism at its core," and explained, "Both crises and opportunities are emerging, especially in Changwon, the center of Gyeongnam."

He went on to say, "There have been concerns in Changwon about the decline of traditional manufacturing industries due to artificial intelligence (AI), but AI requires the power industry. In the power industry, South Korea’s greatest competitive edge is in nuclear power, particularly small modular reactors (SMRs)."

He emphasized, "No other place in the world has the manufacturing capabilities to design or build nuclear power plants or SMRs except Changwon."

He added, "The Reform New Party is a political party that can clearly understand and speak about the future of Gyeongnam. Up to now, the Reform New Party has excelled with youthful energy and creative ideas, but through the founding of the Gyeongnam Provincial Party, we will now compete with strong organizational capabilities to back that up."

He also said, "If everyone, from the provincial party chairman to the election candidates, unites for the development of Korea, Gyeongnam, and Changwon, we can bring about change. Going forward, I will visit Gyeongnam and Changwon frequently and devote everything to creating a new wave and shaping a new landscape here."

At the Reform New Party Gyeongnam Provincial Party founding convention, party leader Lee Junseok and Gyeongnam Provincial Party Chairman Jeong Seongdong, among others, are singing the song "You, the Young" together with the attendees.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

Floor Leader Chun Haram said, "Gyeongnam is the engine of Korea. For Korea to experience another manufacturing renaissance and achieve great results in the era of AI, robotics, and SMRs, Gyeongnam must thrive, and for Gyeongnam to thrive, strong regional leadership is essential."

Chun further stated, "Entrenched politics cannot provide the leadership or the future that Gyeongnam needs. Led by Party Leader Lee, the Reform New Party Gyeongnam Provincial Party will create new leadership in Gyeongnam and change its politics and future."

On this day, the Reform New Party Gyeongnam Provincial Party elected Jeong Seongdong, who was the chairman of the party foundation preparation committee, as the new provincial party chairman.

Chairman Jeong said, "Although I take pride in being at the center of conservatism, conservative politics in Gyeongnam has focused only on personal gain and nominations, neglecting the residents. This arrogant politics that ignores the people must now come to an end."

He continued, "The provincial party may be just a small root planted in barren soil right now, but we are proud, confident, and genuine young conservatives who compete with common sense and competence. Here in Gyeongnam, the Reform New Party will serve as a bridgehead for victory nationwide."

He also promised the following: ▲ gathering public opinion across the province by operating a party bus ▲ presenting specific policies and alternatives ▲ discovering young local politicians through the operation of the Lee Junseok Youth Academy.

At the Reform New Party Gyeongnam Provincial Party Founding Convention, Party Leader Joonseok Lee, Floor Leader Haram Chun, Chairman of the Policy Committee Jooyeong Lee, Chairman of the Provincial Party Founding Preparation Committee Seongdong Jung, Busan mayoral candidate Ihan Jung, Changwon mayoral candidate Myungsang Kang, and former Masan City Council Chairman Kwangsik Jung are taking a commemorative photo together.
Photo by Seryeong Lee

Chairman Jeong also pledged, "While the established parties are complacent, we will listen to voices from all over Gyeongnam and do our utmost to solve problems. We will save Gyeongnam with concrete policies and alternatives."

He added, "Whether it is administrative integration or the creation of a mega-city, we will fully respect the opinions of the residents and present policy alternatives that make them happy and benefit them. We will stand together until the day Gyeongnam regains its pride."

According to the Reform New Party, there are currently about 4,000 party members in the Gyeongnam region.

For this local election, three people are running as Reform New Party Gyeongnam Provincial Party candidates: Changwon Mayoral Preliminary Candidate Kang Myungsang, and Gimhae City Council Preliminary Candidates Kim Heesung and Moon Hyunjin.

The Reform New Party Gyeongnam Provincial Party plans to complete its registration with the election commission as soon as the organization is fully structured.

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