Cho Kuk, the Rebuilding Korea Party candidate for the National Assembly seat in Pyeongtaek-B, Gyeonggi Province, again claimed Tuesday to be the right fit for the democratic camp, saying, "If I enter the National Assembly, I will lead the solidarity and integration of the democratic and progressive camp in an orderly manner." As allegations of a "borrowed-name loan shark business" continued to mount against his rival, Democratic Party (DP) candidate Kim Yong-nam, Cho drew a line on candidate unification and called on the DP to clean up its own mess.
In an interview with the Seoul Economic Daily that day, Cho said, "If I am elected, the entire democratic and progressive camp will grow." In opinion polls for the five-way race in Pyeongtaek-B, a three-way contest is largely unfolding among Cho, Kim, and People Power Party (PPP) candidate Yoo Eui-dong. With the two progressive candidates continuing to provoke each other, attention is focused on whether last-minute unification talks can be revived.
Calling himself a "Pyeongtaek freshman" who is learning a great deal, Cho said he would turn the city into an AI innovation hub through his "The Global AI Nexus Pyeongtaek" pledge. "I will establish an Asia-Pacific AI Center and a Physical AI Diffusion Center. On top of that, I will create an AI-specialized school for the gifted and link it with a KAIST Pyeongtaek Campus to build a 'circular structure,'" he explained.
– What is the meaning of this election, and why did you run in Pyeongtaek-B?
△Even before the by-election districts were finalized, I made clear I would definitely run, and I stated my criteria in advance: "an area where the by-election was triggered by reasons attributable to the Democratic Party, and a place that ordinary citizens would not see as an easy path." Pyeongtaek-B fits those criteria. Pyeongtaek is home to Camp Humphreys, the symbol of the Korea-U.S. alliance, as well as a port and the world's largest semiconductor production base. It has the character of a national strategic city. Its potential is enormous, but it has been missing opportunities due to a lack of political clout linked to the central government. I will strengthen and expand that connection. If I win the Pyeongtaek-B election, the entire democratic and progressive camp will grow. I have points of contact with most parties and factions except for the insurrection forces. I believe I am the figure to lead the expansion of the democratic and progressive camp and, within it, solidarity and integration.
– A photo of you with a bruise around your eye was made public.
△I am sorry that so many people were worried. The pain has largely subsided. On the 12th, after finishing my first event, I turned around to rush out to my second event and bumped into something behind me without realizing it was there. It was a very thick glass door. I am embarrassed but also truly grateful when citizens worry about it.
– There have been criticisms that you have no local ties. Early in the campaign, you also mistakenly mispronounced local place names.
△I am a Pyeongtaek freshman. I have made mistakes and done things wrong. I am learning a lot. They say only about 20% of Pyeongtaek residents are natives. Pyeongtaek is a city built together by citizens who have come from various regions. I think what matters is not where someone is from, but whether they have the ability and execution power to solve local problems. I served as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs at the Blue House and as Minister of Justice, working at the heart of state administration, and I have built a wide-ranging personal network. A National Assembly member does not come to a constituency alone. If you elect me, Cho Kuk, then my abilities, my network, and even the public attention I draw will all become assets for Pyeongtaek. Ministers, vice ministers, committee chairs, senior public officials, ruling party lawmakers — I have direct lines to all of them. Only at this level can the long-pending and stalled issues of Pyeongtaek be resolved.
– You had left the door open to unification with candidate Kim, but has your position changed?
△I have consistently emphasized that we must form solidarity and integrate for "Zero Insurrection." Regarding candidate Kim, allegations of a high-interest loan shark business targeting ordinary citizens are being raised one after another, so this is not a situation in which we can talk about unification. The Democratic Party must first judge whether candidate Kim meets the standards of the public. Only after that can unification be discussed. Candidate Kim denies the facts, but an evaluation according to the public's standards is needed regarding the disclosure of his own voice and that of his younger brother. For the Democratic Party — the eldest brother of the democratic-reform camp and the ruling party — to make a responsible choice and clean up its own mess is the minimum courtesy to the citizens of Pyeongtaek.
– You unveiled transportation pledges first.
△When I came to Pyeongtaek and listened to citizens, men and women, young and old, all complained about transportation inconveniences. Among bus routes, 51% have intervals of one hour. Getting in and out of Pyeongtaek is also extremely inconvenient. The core of Pyeongtaek's development is transportation. If industries and people are not connected, growth halts. If the KTX Southern Gyeonggi Station — my No. 1 pledge — is newly built, it will be directly connected to Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek Campus, and accessibility for global companies, talent, and domestic and overseas buyers will be dramatically improved. It must be realized for Pyeongtaek to become one of the top three cities in Gyeonggi Province.
– Pyeongtaek is a region where new towns and rural areas coexist. What are your region-specific pledges?
So far, I have announced 68 pledges. Considering what will be announced during the campaign period, the total will likely be around 80. Pyeongtaek shows completely different faces within just a few hundred meters. There are well-organized areas like Seoul or other capital-region new towns, areas where apartments have been built but infrastructure has not been developed, and areas with only rice paddies and fields. So I am developing and announcing life-related pledges tailored to each region.
In Godeok-dong, the most important transportation pledge is the new KTX Southern Gyeonggi Station. In Anjung, I will get the extension of the Sin-Ansan Line to Anjung Station reflected in the national plan and push for a multi-modal transit center at Anjung Station. In Hyeondeok-myeon, I will support the early opening of Roads 1-4 in the Hwayang district and properly push forward the Pyeongtaek Lake tourism complex. In Poseung-eup, I will upgrade the Pyeongtaek Port Authority from a local public enterprise to a national port authority. In Cheongbuk-eup, I oppose the Eoyeon-Hansan waste incinerator. In Oseong-myeon, as an important foundation of Pyeongtaek's agriculture, I will advance it around hands-on experience programs, local food, and young farmers. Paengseong-eup is a region that has long borne special burdens for national security. I will substantively revise the Special Act on Support for Pyeongtaek.
– You pledged to make Pyeongtaek "The Global AI Nexus."
△The goal is to make it the brain and hub of AI innovation that the world watches. Pyeongtaek is already a city with a world-class industrial foundation. It has the world's largest semiconductor plant and materials, parts, and equipment companies. I have pledged to attract an Asia-Pacific AI Center to Pyeongtaek. If a Physical AI Diffusion Center is set up and a KAIST Pyeongtaek Campus is added, a complete AI ecosystem will be built. It would form an "AI circular structure" that runs from AI gifted education (the school for the gifted) → university and research (KAIST Pyeongtaek Campus) → global projects (Asia-Pacific AI Center) → industrial employment.
– You said you would take the lead in solidarity and integration of the democratic and progressive camp after the election.
△Even though it now looks like we are competing, clashing, and fighting with the Democratic Party, in the end we have to look in the same direction and move forward together. Only through solidarity and integration can we drive out the insurrection forces. Only through solidarity and integration can we make a success of the popular sovereignty government of President Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate jointly fielded by the democratic and progressive camp. And only then can we create a fifth democratic government. These are goals that cannot be reached if we are divided and split apart. Among institutional politicians, few have as many points of contact with various parties, factions, and civil society as I do. If I enter the National Assembly, I will mobilize my network and capabilities to lead the solidarity, unity, and integration of the democratic and progressive camp in an orderly manner.
