Former Lawmaker Shin Seong-beom Registers as First Preliminary Candidate... Officially Declares Candidacy

"Cannot Tolerate Elections as a Means for Politicians' Advancement"
Emphasizing Regional Change with 'Let's Change and Revive'

Former National Assembly member Shin Seong-beom of the People Power Party officially registered and declared his candidacy for the 22nd National Assembly election in the Sancheong·Hamyang·Geochang·Hapcheon electoral district. He was the first preliminary candidate to register among all candidates from both ruling and opposition parties.

Until now, the focus in this region had been on whether Baek Won-guk, Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, would run in the general election, but on the 4th, he announced his intention not to run. Therefore, the People Power Party nomination is expected to be effectively narrowed down to a two-way race between former National Assembly member Shin Seong-beom and current National Assembly member Kim Tae-ho.

Preliminary candidate Shin said, “While appearing as a panelist on broadcasts, I have never forgotten my hometown or the region for even a moment,” adding, “Through broadcasting, I have been observing politics and society and have always been thinking and worrying about how to improve our region.”

Candidate Shin Seong-beom is registering for the 22nd National Assembly Geo.ham.san.hap electoral district.

In particular, he stated, “I can no longer tolerate elections being merely a means for politicians to advance their careers while the true sovereigns, the county residents, are reduced to mere spectators,” and “On behalf of many sensible people, I am determined to change the region into a better place to live through politics that is alive and active in the field of life.”

Preliminary candidate Shin’s election slogan is “Change the Region and Revive the Economy,” reflecting a strong determination that the region’s population decline must no longer be neglected and that only by making changes can the local economy be revived. The phrase “Change and Revive” signifies replacing the region.

On the day, preliminary candidate Shin said, “Among our region of Sancheong·Hamyang·Geochang·Hapcheon, even Geochang County, which was relatively better off, has finally fallen below the 60,000 population mark. Although population extinction cannot be reversed, we must hit the brakes and slow down the speed,” adding, “I have spent the past eight years in a time far more valuable than my eight years as an incumbent lawmaker. I have learned a lot by viewing politics through the eyes of ordinary citizens.”

He continued, “Both my body and mind are ready for new politics. I am determined to carry out politics that revives the region and economy,” and began full-scale activities for victory in the April 10 general election.

Meanwhile, preliminary candidate Shin graduated from Geochang High School and Seoul National University’s Department of Anthropology. He has served as KBS Moscow correspondent and bureau chief, a member of the 18th and 19th National Assembly, secretary of the National Assembly’s Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, and the first deputy secretary-general of the Saenuri Party.