Han Jun-ho, Chu Mi-ae, and Kim Dong-yeon, the three Democratic Party of Korea candidates for Gyeonggi Province governor, clashed fiercely in their second joint debate on Thursday, attacking weaknesses in each other's campaign pledges.
The debate format had each candidate explain a key policy pledge before fielding questions from rivals. Han proposed a rotational transit policy called "GTX-Ring" that would organically connect all 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province through a circular rail network. Chu pointed out that "the GTX-Ring inevitably overlaps with previously discussed routes in some sections, making duplicate construction difficult in terms of financing and demand."
Kim asked how Han would address the fact that the plan was not included in the 5th National Railway Network Master Plan, which is currently under review. Han responded that "because it is not included in the national railway network plan, we will push to discuss it quickly starting from the transition committee stage."
On Chu's pledge to introduce free public transportation for all children and teenagers aged 6 to 18, both Kim and Han raised cost concerns. When Kim asked how much the plan would cost, Chu estimated 80.6 billion won ($59 million). Han challenged the figure, saying "there are about 2.3 million eligible people across Gyeonggi Province, and a rough calculation shows it would cost more than 500 billion won," arguing her math was wrong.
Kim presented his signature pledge, a "100 Million Won Asset-Building Project for Gyeonggi Residents." Han questioned whether the plan would deliver meaningful results, noting that "to have 100 million won in hand 20 years from now, you would either need to put in about 37 million won upfront or contribute over 20 to 30 years to accumulate 100 million won. Given the value of 100 million won 30 years from now, would people actually feel they built meaningful wealth?"
There were multiple instances where Kim and Han pressed Chu for specific answers. When Kim repeatedly asked about solutions for the water supply issue at the semiconductor mega-cluster, Chu told him to "answer it yourself," leading to a moment where Kim answered his own question.
In the initiative debate segment, Chu took aim at Kim's pledge fulfillment rate as the incumbent Gyeonggi governor. Chu criticized that "Kim claims a pledge fulfillment rate of over 90 percent, but there are tricks — categorizing pledges as 'continued implementation after fulfillment.'" She added, "Does sending a written request count as fulfillment? Does commissioning a study count? Does changing a word count as fulfillment?"
Kim fired back that "Chu seems to have a low understanding of pledge fulfillment. Once first-year tasks are completed, second-year tasks are recorded as 'continued implementation after fulfillment.'" He added that "Manifesto awarded us the top prize among metropolitan governments for four consecutive years throughout the 8th popularly elected term — the only one to achieve that."
The Democratic Party will select its final candidate through the main primary from May 5 to 7, which combines party member votes and public opinion polls at a 50-50 ratio. If no candidate secures a majority, a runoff vote will be held from May 15 to 17.