Park Chandae Officially Announces Candidacy for Incheon Mayor: "I Will Change Citizens' Lives as a Field-Oriented Mayor"

Launching the 100-Day Emergency Livelihood Recovery Project

Proposing 'AI, Bio, K-Culture, and Energy' as Incheon's Future Vision

"Aiming to Raise Incheon's Average Annual Salary to the Top 5 Nationwide by 2030"

Park Chandae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, officially announced his candidacy for the 9th local elections as mayor of Incheon on the 22nd.

At a press conference held that day at Aetteul Square in front of Incheon City Hall, Assemblyman Park stated, "Incheon stands at a critical crossroads: will it remain a city where growth has stalled, or become the heart of 'G3 Korea' leading the Republic of Korea to become one of the world's top three powers? Now is the 'golden time' that will determine our destiny."

He pointed out, "Incheon's economic growth rate plummeted from 6.8% in 2022 to -0.5% in 2025, a drop of 7.3 percentage points over four years. Despite spending 8.7 billion won only on consulting fees for the Jemulpo Renaissance (Old Downtown Revitalization Project), all that remains is a consulting report." He emphasized, "There is an urgent need for a competent local government that can work closely with the central government to produce tangible results in terms of budgets and policies."

Democratic Party lawmaker Chan-dae Park is holding a press conference on June 3 to announce his candidacy for Incheon mayor at Aeteul Square in front of Incheon City Hall on the 22nd. Photo by Chan-dae Park's office

If elected as mayor of Incheon, Park pledged to launch the "100-Day Emergency Livelihood Recovery Project" as his first policy action. In response to the inflationary pressure and high oil prices caused by the Middle East conflict, he is determined to focus the first 100 days of his term on protecting citizens' daily lives by expanding the local currency 'Incheon e-eum,' raising meal subsidies for children, and increasing the scope of postpartum care support and youth monthly rent assistance.

He also promised to significantly expand the transportation network, promote balanced development between new and old districts, and establish new growth hubs where K-culture/content and youth-driven industries converge.

As a future vision for Incheon, he proposed the 'ABC+E' strategy, combining 'A' for Artificial Intelligence (AI), 'B' for Bio, 'C' for K-Culture, and 'E' for Energy. This includes: ▲ logistics AI automation at Incheon Airport and Incheon Port, the development of the Cheongna AI connected car and a global AI auto valley; ▲ establishing a global new drug hub in Songdo, founding the Korea Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology and a public medical school; ▲ building the 50,000-seat Munhak K-Culture Stadium and establishing 11 content clusters; ▲ leading the offshore wind power ecosystem, implementing differentiated electricity tariffs, and re-pursuing a distributed energy special zone.

Park stated, "The most important goal of the ABC+E strategy is ultimately to create quality jobs and fill our citizens' wallets," adding, "By 2030, I will raise the average annual salary for jobs in Incheon to be among the nation's top five, reaching an average of 55 million won."

Park Chandae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, held a press conference on June 3rd to announce his candidacy for the mayoral election of Incheon at Aetteul Square in front of Incheon City Hall on the 22nd. The event was attended by Democratic Party lawmakers and local committee chairs. Screenshot from Park Chandae TV broadcast.

He declared, "I will not be a mayor who sits in the city hall office waiting for consulting reports, but a field-oriented mayor who finds answers on site. I am determined to make being born and raised in Incheon a source of pride, and to fulfill the hopes of our 3 million citizens by leading the future of the Republic of Korea from Incheon."

Following his candidacy announcement, his first official schedule is to visit Lotte Biologics and Celltrion, both located in the Songdo Bio Cluster.

Park was previously nominated as the Democratic Party's candidate for mayor of Incheon and will face incumbent mayor Yoo Jeongbok, who is seeking re-election as the People Power Party's candidate in this local election.

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