Jang Sung-min to Run in 'Difficult District' Ansan Sangnok-gu Gap... "Gyeonggi-do Weakness, Decided to Help the Party"

Jang Sung-min, former Future Strategy Planning Officer of the Presidential Office, announced on the 31st his intention to run for the Sangnok-gu Gap district in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, which is considered a challenging area for the People Power Party. He stated that he is taking on this challenge in a weak region for the party to realize responsible politics and stable national governance.

In a phone interview with Asia Economy on the same day, Jang said, "I have been contemplating running in the 22nd general election," adding, "Since the overall situation in Gyeonggi Province is weak, I decided to help the party."

He said, "Although a dramatic regime change was achieved through candidate Yoon Seok-yeol in the last presidential election, it is still an incomplete regime change," and added, "I plan to dive into the sea of public sentiment with a vision and dream to revive people's livelihoods."

Photo by Jang Sung-min, former Presidential Office Future Strategy Planning Officer

Regarding his choice of Ansan as the constituency, Jang said, "I have had a deep interest in the Ansan area of Gyeonggi Province, which can be called the toughest among the toughest regions for the ruling party's responsible politics and the president's successful governance," and expressed his determination, "I will establish the flag of a global pivotal nation that our government has advocated here."

He continued, "I am preparing a vision and dream for the advanced industrial complex development of Siwha Lake Valley to secure new economic dynamism that can form a global pivotal free town, to prepare for the era of West Coast economic development, and to leverage the dynamism of the 4th Industrial Revolution. With this vision and dream, I intend to realize the economic development of Ansan."

Jang previously served as the head of the National Situation Room during the administration of the late President Kim Dae-jung. Ahead of the 20th presidential election, he ran as a candidate in the People Power Party's presidential primary but was defeated. After the election, he was appointed as a political special advisor in the Presidential Transition Committee and later served as the Future Strategy Planning Officer, acting as an aide to President Yoon. He was also in charge of efforts to attract the 2030 Busan Expo as the Future Strategy Planning Officer.

Ansan Sangnok-gu Gap is the constituency of Jeon Hae-cheol, a Democratic Party lawmaker who has been elected three consecutive times in this area. According to the People Power Party's nomination management committee's screening criteria, this area is eligible for priority recommendation (strategic nomination) due to three consecutive defeats. Currently, former party district chairman Kim Seok-hoon and former Ansan City Council Vice Chairman Kim Jeong-taek have registered as preliminary candidates for the People Power Party. On the Democratic Party side, besides Jeon, former Broadcasting and Communications Commission Standing Commissioner Yang Moon-seok and Park Cheon-gwang, head of the Democratic Party Youth Committee's Welfare Policy Committee, are also running as preliminary candidates.