Governor Kim Kwan-young of North Jeolla Announces Independent Candidacy

"I Will Seek a Direct Mandate from the People"

Kim Kwan-young, Governor of North Jeolla Special Self-Governing Province, has officially announced his independent candidacy for the June 3 nationwide local elections.

Yonhap News

On May 6 at 2 p.m., Governor Kim Kwan-young registered as an independent preliminary candidate with the North Jeolla Special Self-Governing Province Election Commission. Immediately after registering, Governor Kim stated, "I listened to the voices of the people and gave it deep thought. I cannot take the call of the people lightly, so I have decided to seek their direct mandate."

Prior to registering his candidacy, Kim sent an email to provincial government employees, saying, "Thinking of all of you who have endured more hardship than anyone else through a series of upheavals, I feel the weight of setting out on this path alone. Although I will be away from my post for a while, the journey of North Jeolla must never come to a halt, not even for a moment. I am truly grateful, sorry, and I love you all."

With this registration as a preliminary candidate, Kim's duties as governor are immediately suspended.

Kim, who is seeking re-election, plans to hold a press conference announcing his candidacy at the North Jeolla Provincial Council on May 7 at 10 a.m. With incumbent Governor Kim entering the race as an independent, the North Jeolla gubernatorial election is entering a new phase.

Before being expelled from the Democratic Party of Korea, Kim, who is seeking re-election, had consistently maintained the top spot in various public opinion polls. The gap between him and the second and third place candidates was well outside the margin of error, making his re-election highly likely.

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