Kim Young-hwan, governor of North Chungcheong Province who was cut from the June 3 local election primary but reinstated by a court ruling, has unveiled the creation of a second professional baseball franchise in the Chungcheong region as his top campaign pledge. Regarding Rep. Joo Ho-young, who similarly filed for an injunction against his primary cutoff but was denied, Kim stressed that "at this point, we need the spirit of putting party before self."
Kim appeared on a KBS radio program on the 6th and assessed the decision by Park Deok-heum, chair of the party's nomination management committee, to restart the North Chungcheong governor primary from scratch. "It is a fair and just decision," Kim said. "Whether it's nominations or anything else, to win elections you have to align with the public's expectations. The sudden cutoffs and abrupt decisions left party members bewildered and despairing, but this is now starting to be resolved."
On the committee's decision not to reinstate candidates who were cut off ahead of the Daegu mayoral primary, unlike in the North Chungcheong governor race, Kim said, "Personally, I think it would have been better to include everyone in the Daegu primary and sort it out there. But that also involves various complications, so the fact that this nomination committee is restoring common sense will have a significant impact on this election."
Kim argued that figures such as former Korea Communications Commission Chairperson Lee Jin-suk, who was cut from the Daegu mayoral primary and declared an independent candidacy, should "put party before self." He said, "I absolutely do not think it will come to that (independent runs). Daegu is, no matter what, the heart of our opposition party. I believe Daegu citizens will ultimately rally together, saying 'we must save the opposition, save the conservative movement, and prevent one-party dominance.'"
He added, "There are people who feel wronged and frustrated right now. I personally wished they had been included in the primary, and I made that recommendation to the party leadership. But at this point, we must put party before self."
Kim presented the creation of a second professional baseball franchise in the Chungcheong region and the construction of a domed stadium as his top pledges for this local election. "K-Bio healthcare and the civilian-only runway at Cheongju Airport have already entered a certain trajectory, so what I am newly proposing is that we need to build a domed stadium," he said. "We will build a 50,000-seat domed stadium in Osong with a 100,000-seat concert venue, and in connection with that, we will establish a second franchise." He added, "I believe the time has come to provide cultural facilities that can give residents a sense of community belonging and give children hope, which is why I am making this my top pledge."
On the intra-party conflict highlighted by the cutoff fallout, Kim said, "Excessively shaking the party leadership at this juncture is not appropriate. We must win the election no matter what, so the leadership must exercise restraint and we must also show self-discipline." He continued, "The outlook for the local elections is very bleak, so to block the Democratic Party, we should take time before engaging in internal fights or debates. For now, we must regroup and prevent the Democratic Party's dominance or overreach."