Yeom Tae-young, Kim Doo-kwan Declare Support... "Reliable Comrades Who Left Significant Achievements in Local Decentralization"

[Image source=Yeomsiang Facebook]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Ju Cheol-in] On the 27th, Yeom Tae-young, mayor of Suwon City, declared that he would support Assemblyman Kim Doo-kwan in the Democratic Party's presidential primary.

Mayor Yeom announced his support for Assemblyman Kim as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate through a post on his Facebook titled "Seeing the Path Walked and the Path Ahead," stating, "I will stand by Assemblyman Kim Doo-kwan, who has always taken the lead in pioneering the path of local autonomy without considering personal gain or loss."

Mayor Yeom began by saying, "A young man who was a village chief at 37 was elected as the first Namhae County governor in 1995, abolished the customary practice of giving reporters gratuities, fully opened the county office press room, and disclosed the county governor's business expenses, bringing a fresh breeze with innovative actions, turning Namhae County into a showcase of numerous new achievements."

He then introduced Assemblyman Kim, saying, "In 2003, during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, he was appointed as the first Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and earned the nickname 'Little Roh Moo-hyun.'"

Mayor Yeom recalled, "Regarding President Roh Moo-hyun's decision, the Ministry of the Interior officials at the time showed clear discomfort, saying that a rural county governor at the level of a secretary had become a minister overnight."

Regarding Assemblyman Kim during the Roh Moo-hyun government, Mayor Yeom evaluated, "During his short term as Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, he promoted the legislation of the 'Special Act on Local Decentralization' and the 'Resident Referendum Act,' and established new autonomous districts such as Gyeryong City in Chungnam Province and Jeungpyeong County in Chungbuk Province. He abolished the grant system that had been a means of controlling local governments and created the 'Special Account for National Balanced Development,' leaving significant and substantial achievements in the history of local autonomy in Korea."

He added, "Assemblyman Kim Doo-kwan has always been a senior and a reliable comrade in 'local autonomy' to me. From when he was the United New Democratic Party candidate for Suwon mayor in 2006, whom no one paid attention to, to his challenge for the Democratic Party's Supreme Council member last year, he has always consistently supported me in every election," expressing his gratitude.

Meanwhile, Yeom Tae-young, mayor of Suwon City, was elected as a Supreme Council member for the first time as a local autonomy force at the party convention last August. He currently also serves as the chairman of the Committee for a Better Local Government.