Democratic Party Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Mayoral Primary Joint Speeches... Competition Over Ties with President Lee

Emphasizing Political Ties with President Lee Jaemyung
Blueprints for Administrative Integration:
AI, Energy, and Industrial Strategy Pledges

On the 14th, at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, candidates are taking a commemorative photo at the joint speech meeting for the preliminary race for the special mayor of Jeonnam Gwangju in the 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections. From the left are preliminary candidates Kim Yeongrok, Kang Gijeong, Jeong Junho, So Byeonghun, Chairman of the Central Party Election Commission, Joo Cheolhyun, Shin Jeonghun, Min Hyungbae, and Lee Byeonghun of the Democratic Party. Photo by Yonhap News.

On March 14, the preliminary candidates for the Democratic Party’s integrated special mayor of Jeonnam-Gwangju emphasized their connections with President Lee Jaemyung and vied for support during a joint speech event.

The Democratic Party held the "Joint Speech Event for the Preliminary Election of the Integrated Special Mayor of Jeonnam-Gwangju" online for party members at the Central Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul on the afternoon of March 14.

The candidates all highlighted that, given the context of Jeonnam-Gwangju's integration as a special city, they are either best aligned with or have the strongest connection to the President.

Jung Junho, the first speaker, introduced himself as “the original proposer of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integration Special Act and the architect of integration,” stressing that the success of Honam’s reintegration is directly linked to the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration. He emphasized securing additional national funding and generational change in leadership.

Min Hyungbae highlighted his connection with President Lee, saying, "We met as mayors of Seongnam and Gwangsan District in 2010 and have built trust together by shaping 16 years of political and policy history."

Min pledged to use the 20 trillion won integration support fund as seed capital for the next 100 years, investing in advanced corporate infrastructure, talent development, and social safety nets, and establishing the Jeonnam-Gwangju Electric Power Corporation to usher in an era of 100 won industrial electricity rates.

Joo Chulhyun stated, "Since the last presidential primary, I was the only National Assembly member from Jeonnam to publicly support President Lee," adding, "I will create a dispersed administrative system with Gwangju, Eastern, and Muan government complexes, establish a renewable energy capital, build an AI-based advanced industry belt, implement basic allowances for farmers and fishers, and develop a special city where all key activities are accessible within one hour."

Lee Byunghoon referenced his experience as Senior Vice Chairperson of the Democratic Party’s Honam Development Special Committee, saying, "With President Lee’s strong determination, the administrative integration of Jeonnam-Gwangju has gained rapid momentum." Lee pledged to create a city that attracts young people through balanced development centered on five core regions — Eastern, Southwestern, Southern, Greater Gwangju, and Gwangju Metropolitan — and by fostering new industries such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and future mobility.

Kang Gijeong asserted, "While everyone chases the President’s halo, what we really need now is someone who can make the President shine," emphasizing his own suitability. Kang explained, "Based on policies that Gwangju has pioneered, such as integrated care, public nighttime pediatric hospitals, and AI administration, we are now preparing for the second emergence of a prosperous Jeonnam-Gwangju through integration."

Kim Youngrok stressed his cooperative relationship with President Lee, describing himself as "the integrated special mayor that the President wants." Kim said, "Within the six-month golden time, I will create a blueprint for the special city, create 100,000 youth jobs, and establish future industry hubs centered on semiconductors, AI, robotics, and secondary batteries."

Lastly, Shin Jeonghoon introduced himself by saying, "At the end of Lee Jaemyung’s intuition stands Shin Jeonghoon," emphasizing that he is a politician aligned with the President’s governance philosophy. Shin pledged to build three major axes — Gwangju, Eastern, and Western regions — and seven economic axes, and to develop a special city with one-hour living zones and a basic society through transportation network innovations such as metropolitan rail and bus rapid transit (BRT).

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party’s integrated special mayoral primary for Jeonnam-Gwangju is scheduled as follows: the preliminary election on March 19–20, the main primary on April 3–5, and the runoff vote on April 12–14. The party will hold group TV debates on March 17–18 before the preliminary, and in-depth policy jury discussions by region from March 27–29 before the main primary.

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