[6.3 Election] Shinan County Council Candidates Protest Against 'Sunlight and Wind Pension Controversy'

“The pension is shared income for residents’ sacrifices...
It must not become the target of political attacks”

Candidates for Shinan County Council representing Anjwa-myeon, Bigeum-myeon, Jaeun-myeon, Jido-eup, and Imja-myeon in Jeollanam-do have strongly objected to the controversy over sunlight and wind pensions and basic income.

At 10 a.m. on the 15th, four candidates for the Shinan County Council (Sangju Lee, Yongbae Kim, Hyuksung Kim, Wonjun An, from left) held a press conference and expressed their positions on the controversy over sunlight, wind pensions, and basic income. Photo by Seunghyun Jeong

The candidates—Sangju Lee, Yongbae Kim, Hyuksung Kim, and Wonjun An—held a joint press conference at 10 a.m. on May 15 at the campaign office of Park Woolyang, the Democratic Party candidate for Shinan County Governor. They stated, “The sunlight and wind pension is not merely a cash-based welfare policy but a form of shared regional income that compensates residents for the sacrifices they have made in the process of developing solar and offshore wind power. The legitimate share that should go to the county's residents must not become the target of political attacks.”

Through their press statement, the candidates explained, “Shinan County and the Shinan County Council, reflecting residents’ opinions, secured a budget of approximately 24 billion won for the 2026 budget. In addition to the sunlight and wind pension, preparations have been made to provide a basic income of 200,000 won to all county residents.”

However, they argued, “A particular YouTuber has continuously raised issues and filed pressure-driven complaints with central government agencies, which ultimately led to the sunlight and wind pension being included as part of the basic income. As a result, the separate payment that residents had hoped for has become virtually impossible.”

The candidates also emphasized the unique regional circumstances of Shinan County. They said, “Shinan County is home to many island residents who endure some of the most difficult living conditions in the country. While political criticism is possible, shaking even the minimum benefits and hopes that should go to the residents cannot be considered an act for their sake.”

They further asserted that the sunlight and wind pension is at the core of resident-participatory renewable energy policies. “If this is undermined by simply dismissing it as overlapping support, it will strip all regions of the drive needed to pursue resident-participatory energy policies in the future,” they warned.

The Democratic Party county council candidates who attended the press conference also expressed their commitment to actively protect residents’ rights and address the issue together with Park Woolyang, the candidate for Shinan County Governor.

They emphasized, “We will never turn a blind eye to any actions that make the lives and rights of county residents the scapegoat of political attacks. We will defend the voices of the residents until the end.”

The issues of sunlight and wind pension and basic income payments are emerging as key issues in the current Shinan County Governor election. With ongoing debates over the outcomes of resident-participatory renewable energy projects and methods of resource allocation, the public stance taken by the regional county council candidates is expected to further intensify the final stage of the election battle.

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