Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon of the Democratic Party of Korea, seeking reelection in the June 3 local elections, described himself as "a 'cash asset' ready to be used immediately," emphasizing his chemistry with President Lee Jae-myung. He argued that his administrative competence, proven over the past four years, enables him to deliver immediate results. He characterized other candidates as a "reform asset" (preliminary candidate Choo Mi-ae) and a "future asset" (preliminary candidate Han Jun-ho).
In an interview with the Seoul Economic Daily at his campaign office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province on May 26, Kim said, "For the Lee Jae-myung government to succeed, Gyeonggi Province's support is essential," adding, "We need a candidate who is competitive in the general election and can absorb public sentiment."
Kim leads in various general opinion polls but is considered relatively weaker in capturing "party member votes," the most critical battleground of the primary. "The work I've done for the Democratic Party's values over the past four years hasn't been well known, and I plan to widely publicize Gyeonggi Province's active efforts," he said. He also described his rival candidates as "precious assets of our party," expressing willingness to unite by saying, "If any candidate fails to advance to the runoff, I will carry on their pledges or develop them into shared commitments."
Regarding the People Power Party, his main rival in the general election, Kim showed confidence, saying, "Send a proper person." He added, "(Among potential candidates being mentioned) former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min is the most decent candidate," and "I want to face a proper candidate, not a Yoon-again." On the proliferation of regional pledges to relocate major high-tech industries based in Gyeonggi Province, such as semiconductors, he stressed, "I will absolutely protect our core industrial base."
Below is the full interview.
-Why should it be Kim Dong-yeon?
"Some people think that whoever becomes the Democratic Party's candidate will win no matter what, but that's not the case. In the election four years ago, I won by a mere 0.15 percentage point difference. With over 12 million eligible voters, I barely won by a margin of 8,900 votes. We need a candidate who is competitive in the general election and can absorb public sentiment. If I become the Democratic Party's candidate, the People Power Party will find it nearly impossible to even field a candidate."
-You've been continuously apologizing to party members recently. Do you think you've won back their hearts?
"After the local election four years ago, I think arrogance emerged from the confidence of having dramatically won that difficult race. I was a political novice back then, and I lacked a sense of camaraderie toward the people who played a decisive role in my election. I'm reflecting on that now. This is absolutely not something I'm saying as an election strategy ahead of the vote. Starting about two years ago, I began engaging extensively with fellow party members, rubbing shoulders with them in the field, and I realized my mistakes. What matters isn't how many hearts I've won back, but that I hope my fellow party members will accept this sincere reflection. The most important thing is what changes come after the reflection. Since recognizing my mistakes two years ago, I've been actively working to support President Lee Jae-myung and the success of the people's sovereignty government. I believe I've changed. If there's one thing I wish for, it's that my fellow party members accept my sincerity."
