Gyeongnam Governor Candidate Park Wansoo's First Pledge Is 'Welfare' ... "All Residents to Receive at Least One Benefit"

Park Wansoo, who is running for re-election as Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do, has announced 'welfare policy' as his first pledge as a preliminary candidate for the People Power Party in the 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections.

On the 28th, candidate Park held a press conference at the provincial government press center, stating, "We will actively support those who have relatively low access to welfare benefits at the national level, such as people in their 40s and 50s and women." He continued, "We will diversify the target groups so that all residents of the province, regardless of age, can directly benefit from at least one Gyeongnam-style welfare program."

Park Wansu, preliminary candidate for Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is announcing his first local election pledge, a 'welfare policy.'
Photo by Lee Seryeong

He then announced the 'Happiness UP 5 Major Welfare Pledges.'

Among these, the flagship welfare pledge for this local election is the introduction of the 'Gyeongnam Resident Membership Card' for residents aged 18.

With this single membership card, users can receive benefits such as a 30-50% discount at public parking lots, a 20% discount at sports and cultural facilities, full exemption from public transportation costs for pregnant women, a 10-20% discount on examination fees at partner hospitals, discounts at cinemas, and various vouchers for shopping, culture, transportation, public parking lots in the province, and facility usage fees.

In particular, there are plans to launch a dedicated app that allows users to earn mileage by participating in physical activities such as walking or marathons, which can then be used like cash.

Candidate Park also focused his pledges on providing robust support for people in their 40s and 50s, often referred to as the 'sandwiched generation.'

He pointed out, "The 4050 generation is the backbone of Korea's economy, responsible for economic activity, supporting parents, raising children, and securing housing, but there is a lack of customized welfare for them."

He then proposed the introduction of the '4050 Cheer-Up Points' system as a tailored welfare policy for this demographic.

The plan is to periodically provide a certain amount of welfare points to the 4050 generation in the form of local currency, prepaid cards, or Gyeongnam Resident Membership Cards, which can be used for shopping, medical services, culture, and leisure activities in their registered city or county of residence.

In addition, he pledged to provide free HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccinations for female residents aged 45 or younger, support for menopause diagnosis and related treatments and leisure activities, and psychological counseling in connection with local healthcare institutions.

He also announced that the provision of meals during school vacations, which benefited about 29,000 children from dual-income families using childcare facilities during the 8th civil administration, will be expanded in the 9th civil administration to include children from dual-income families who do not use childcare facilities.

Candidate Park also promised to pursue the 'Gyeongnam Resident Pension Season 2.'

This January, Gyeongsangnam-do became the first in the country to introduce the 'Gyeongnam Resident Pension' for residents aged 44 to under 55, supporting the income gap period after retirement and before receiving public pensions. The program met its recruitment goal within three days of its first round and recently completed a second round, receiving a strong response.

Candidate Park stated, "We will expand eligibility for the resident pension to include housewives and young people with no income, thereby addressing gaps in the current resident pension system."

He announced plans to first implement the 'Gyeongnam Youth Pension' for residents aged 45 or younger, and introduce additional programs such as the 'Gyeongnam Child Education Pension,' 'Gyeongnam Senior Pension,' and 'Gyeongnam Village Pension.'

Furthermore, he pledged to utilize annual development profits from public development, activate the public contribution system for private development projects, use public energy generation revenues, promote public tourism and leisure projects, create regional investment funds and special-purpose funds, and establish a 'Resident Happiness Fund' of 100 billion won per year to ensure the smooth implementation of these welfare pledges.

Candidate Park stated, "Over the past four years, we have boldly and actively implemented Gyeongnam-style welfare programs that directly impact residents more than any other province," and added, "If given the opportunity to lead the Gyeongsangnam-do government again in the 9th civil administration, I will deliver 'Park Wansoo-style welfare' that is even warmer and more tangible for the people."

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