Lee Jin-sook, the People Power Party candidate running in the National Assembly by-election in Dalseong County, Daegu, described the June 3 local and by-elections as "a judgment on the arrogant 'runaway power' that does not fear public sentiment."
In an interview with Seoul Economic Daily at her election campaign office in Dalseong County, Daegu, on Thursday, Lee said, "South Korea is currently showing how far unchecked power can run amok."
She argued that the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party, which control both administrative and legislative power, have neutralized the prosecution and pressured the judiciary, and are now pushing a "prosecution withdrawal bill" that would erase even the criminal charges against the president that are currently on trial.
For Dalseong's development, she presented three keywords as core pledges: energy, water, and education.
"Future industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) agents and humanoid robots are impossible without a stable energy supply," Lee said. "Through measures such as a distributed energy special zone, we will create an industrial ecosystem that companies want to come to and invest in first."
The Dalseong by-election is being held alongside the June 3 local elections after former lawmaker Choo Kyung-ho, who represented the district, resigned to run for Daegu mayor.
The following is the full transcript of the interview.
— What are your thoughts on being selected as a candidate, and what is your resolve heading into the election?
I decided to run to properly check the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party and to help lay the foundation for Daegu's development. I will rebuild the political role and responsibility of Daegu's conservatives and restore public trust in the conservative camp. Dalseong is Daegu's growth engine, home to eight industrial complexes and responsible for 70% of Daegu's exports. I will create an industrial ecosystem that makes companies want to invest on their own.
— What was the biggest reason for giving up the Daegu mayoral race and running in the by-election instead?
Many people around me suggested I leave the party and run for mayor as an independent, and I agonized over it until the very end. But I judged that doing so would ultimately result in electing Democratic Party candidate Kim Boo-kyum as mayor. There were also suggestions that I run for Gyeonggi governor or in a difficult by-election in the metropolitan area, but I judged that running in Gyeonggi when I have never lived a single day as a Gyeonggi resident would be an insult to the residents, so I ultimately chose Dalseong. Dalseong is also where I began my career as a high school English teacher.
— What goals do you want to achieve in the National Assembly, which standing committee do you hope to join, and what would be your first proposed bill?
Answering questions on the premise of being elected is not the right attitude toward voters. Winning the by-election is my urgent goal. I will think only of the election and the residents. However, if I do make it to the National Assembly, I will devote myself to enhancing the competitiveness of Dalseong and South Korea's future industries and to firmly establishing liberal democracy and a fair rule of law.
— Some People Power Party candidates are trying to distance themselves from the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership amid internal conflict.
It is true that the public is moving beyond disappointment to anger as they watch our party's internal conflicts and noise. However, with the June 3 election ahead, this is the time to show a unified front. We must put aside internal conflicts and unite as one team. I believe that is the first prerequisite for victory.
— What is your greatest competitive edge compared to your opponent?
It is experience, execution, and drive. I worked as an MBC reporter in Seoul, served as Washington correspondent and Washington bureau chief, and covered Middle East war zones. Watching the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq War from the field, I keenly realized how a single leader's wrong choice can destroy a generation's lives. South Korea now stands at such a critical crossroads.
— What are Dalseong County's most pressing issues, and how would you solve them?
The task is to connect Dalseong's growth potential to residents' lives and the local economy. Dalseong has the core foundations of Daegu's future industries, including the Daegu National Industrial Complex, the Technopolis, the National Robot Test Field, and the National Water Industry Cluster. I will link this foundation to corporate attraction, youth jobs, and culture, education, and transportation infrastructure. The redevelopment of the former Hwawon Daegu Prison site is another representative long-cherished project. I will turn it into a future-oriented complex cultural and industrial hub where young people and families gather and the local economy revives.
— You have said you will upgrade Dalseong's industries to enhance competitiveness.
Upgrading the water industry is a representative example. The National Water Industry Cluster is located in Dalseong, and if we attract the National Ultrapure Water Platform Center here, the water industry can leap beyond existing water and sewage and environmental industries to become an ultrapure water materials, parts, and equipment industry that supports semiconductor, secondary battery, display, and bio processes. In particular, Dalseong has vast water industry demand sources in the National Industrial Complex and the Technopolis. If we concentrate the functions of ultrapure water technology development, demonstration, certification, and equipment localization in Dalseong, the Water Industry Cluster can be elevated to an advanced industry materials, parts, and equipment supply base.
— You have pledged stable energy supply to attract AI industries.
Industries such as semiconductors, AI, data centers, future vehicles, robots, and defense are all electricity-intensive. Companies come to places where there are no electricity worries, and only when companies come do jobs get created. Attracting a distributed energy special zone is the key. The idea is to allow local companies to use locally generated electricity more flexibly. By utilizing distributed power sources such as rooftop solar in industrial complexes, energy storage systems (ESS), and hydrogen fuel cells, and by reviewing a direct power trading system, I will create a foundation that allows companies to reduce their electricity bill burden and secure a stable power supply.
— What is your strategy for retaining the youth population?
Dalseong's youth policy must start with education. The key is to make a success of the Dalseong County Education Development Special Zone, which is currently designated as a pilot area. Based on the achievements of the three-year pilot operation through this year, I will actively support its formal designation as a full special zone next year through the National Assembly. Building on this, I will create a "Dalseong-style premium education belt."
— What are your thoughts on the Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration, and what is Dalseong's role in the integration process?
In broad terms, the integration of Daegu and Gyeongbuk is the path we must take. However, what matters is not simply merging administrative districts, but creating industrial, transportation, and living-zone strategies that allow Daegu and Gyeongbuk to grow together. Dalseong is a core area of Daegu's industry and at the same time a contact point bordering Gyeongbuk. It is positioned to connect Daegu's advanced industries with Gyeongbuk's regional resources, logistics, and tourism base. We must develop Dalseong County into a southern growth hub for the era of Daegu-Gyeongbuk integration.
— You have a strong tough image as a "fighter" or "fighting cock." Are you satisfied with that?
Who would like such a tough image? I just did what I had to do in my position without backing down, and that image seems to have stuck.
