Cho Il-chul, an advisory member of the Economic Division 1 of the National Policy Planning Committee who has built his political base in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, for 15 years, declared his support for Paju Mayor Kim Kyung-il ahead of the Democratic Party of Korea's mayoral primary in Paju.
Cho posted a letter on his Facebook page Wednesday titled "A Heartfelt Letter to Paju Party Members and Citizens," stating, "I support Mayor Kim Kyung-il."
"Paju's kingmaker-dominated political culture must be broken by someone," Cho said. "Mayor Kim has been fighting a lonely battle to break that culture. I now wish to walk that path with him."
Originally from the Honam region, Cho settled in Paju around 2011. He ran in two National Assembly elections and one mayoral race but lost all three. In the last general election, he led in the registered party member vote but lost the general public opinion poll by a narrow margin.
Cho acknowledged that Kim's record "has both merits and faults, with clear supporters and opponents," but stressed, "While shortcomings should be critically assessed, achievements should also be fairly evaluated as they are."
"I hope the remaining primary period becomes a venue for visions and policies for Paju's future rather than negative campaigning," Cho added. "The owners of Paju are not a few politicians but the citizens. It is time to write a new chapter in Paju's history in the name of its citizens."
The Democratic Party of Korea's Paju mayoral primary is scheduled for July 10–11.