[6.3 Election] Kim Kwan-young Declares Independent Candidacy, Says "I Will Be Judged by the People of Jeonbuk"

"Democratic Party’s Nomination Process Was Unfair... A Measure to Restore the People’s Right to Choose"
"Paying Substitute Driver Fees Was My Mistake," Apologizes Again

Kim Kwan-young, an independent candidate for the governor of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province who was expelled from the Democratic Party of Korea for giving cash to party members under the pretext of substitute driver fees, has announced his candidacy as an independent.

Candidate Kim Gwanyoung officially announced his candidacy for the Jeonbuk governor in the local elections on June 3 at the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Council briefing room on the 7th. Photo by Noh Jeonghun

At a press conference held in the briefing room of the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Council on the 7th, Candidate Kim stated, "I have believed in the values of fairness and justice upheld by the Democratic Party, but the nomination process was not fair." He went on to explain, "I see this issue as a matter of restoring the people's right to choose, protecting the future of Jeonbuk, and continuing the economic momentum in Jeonbuk."

He added, "The engine has just started running and we are just heading toward results, so we cannot stop here. The person who sows the seeds must water, nurture, and harvest them, and I, Kim Kwan-young, will take responsibility and lead the promises made by companies that believed in Jeonbuk and invested here."

Candidate Kim once again apologized for the controversy over the substitute driver fee payments that arose in November of last year.

He said, "In order to prevent young people from drunk driving, I paid substitute driver fees with the heart of an uncle and later recovered most of it, but it was still my mistake." He added, "I sincerely apologize once again for causing emotional pain to the people of Jeonbuk due to my error."

He continued, "(Cash payments) should not be a reason to deprive the people of Jeonbuk of their right to evaluate and make choices. The final judgment must be made by the people, who are the ultimate adjudicators. After being evaluated by the people, I will surely return to the Democratic Party, which I have always loved."

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