Independent Suncheon mayoral candidate Roh Kwan-kyu unveiled pledges for the city's future on Monday, one day before the June 3 local election.
The core of Roh's final round of pledges centers on youth. Building on Suncheon's designation as a youth-friendly city during the eighth elected term of the local government, Roh promised to advance youth policies further in the ninth elected term to create a Suncheon where young people can feel the impact, stay, and take on challenges.
Key initiatives include establishing a youth special zone, creating a youth leap fund, completing and activating a youth vision center, and expanding youth jobs in future industries.
Despite a series of opinion polls showing him leading the Democratic Party and Progressive Party candidates beyond the margin of error — and despite negative attacks intensifying against him — Roh has focused on conveying his sincerity until the end, saying with a resonant voice, "It is because of the trust of Suncheon citizens that I have been able to come this far."
Notably, Roh drew attention by presenting, rather than attacking his opponents, the five economic pillars of Suncheon he has pursued during the eighth elected term — cultural content, aerospace and defense, K-green bio, healing industry, and RE100 semiconductors — along with old downtown revitalization, tourism, housing, daily-life SOC, and youth policies.
Following his final official pledge announcement, Roh also emphasized "the person matters" theme in his final stump speech.
"Whether the cat is white or black, it must catch the mouse. What does color matter? What counts is getting the job done."
After sharing this message, which President Lee Jae-myung had emphasized during the presidential election, Roh said, "Over the past four years, I have opened a new path step by step for a better tomorrow for Suncheon," adding, "I have run without rest to prepare future industries for Suncheon and to build a city where our children can dream bigger dreams."
From attracting Costco and a premium hotel, to the cultural content industry centered on animation and webtoons, the aerospace and defense industry through Hanwha Aerospace, the green bio and healing industries, and the RE100 semiconductor industry….
Building on these achievements from the eighth elected term, Roh once again stressed continuity for Suncheon's future, appealing, "Please come out to the polls and choose Suncheon's future," and "I will surely repay your precious vote with results."
