Kang Hoon-sik: 2 Trillion Won Over 4 Years, 500 Billion Won Annually for Children's Commuting Safety
Jeon Man-kwon: Speed Cameras and Fences Alone Are Insufficient, Complete Separation Needed
Ahead of the 22nd general election, the ruling and opposition candidates for Asan-eul in Chungnam clashed head-on over the ‘Min-sik Law’ during their first TV debate.
On the 22nd, SK Broadband and the Asan City Reporters Association held the ‘22nd National Assembly Election Candidate Invitation Debate’ to verify the pledges and local issues of the candidates running in Asan-eul.
Democratic Party candidate Kang Hoon-sik pledged △attracting large shopping malls △establishing a cultural arts center △building Korea Job World, the first in the central region △early commencement of the GTX-C line △making Asan City free from fine dust concerns.
People Power Party candidate Jeon Man-kwon presented △designation as a balanced development special city △creation of a semiconductor mega cluster △support for Asan Display △attracting prestigious international schools △amendment of the Min-sik Law as his main pledges.
During the debate, a fierce battle of nerves unfolded over the amendment of the so-called ‘Min-sik Law,’ which is Kang Hoon-sik’s representative bill in the 21st National Assembly.
Kang said, “Candidate Jeon announced that if elected, his first bill would be to amend the ‘Min-sik Law.’ What is the problem with this law?” He added, “Since the law was enacted, an annual budget of 500 billion won, totaling 2 trillion won, has been invested to install speed cameras and guards for children in all school zones nationwide.”
Jeon countered, “The Min-sik Law is a punishment-oriented law for school zone accidents, so additional fundamental solutions are needed to prevent child accidents.” He continued, “Currently, installing speed cameras and fences alone cannot provide a complete solution; school routes and roads must be completely separated.”
He further emphasized, “There are difficulties in uniformly maintaining school zones temporally, such as on Sundays or late at night, and spatially, in rural areas at the eup-myeon level. While there is no disagreement on securing children’s pedestrian safety, these aspects need to be operated flexibly.”
In response, Kang rebutted, “Even without amending the law, time can be operated flexibly, and since 2022, nationwide pilot programs such as raising speed limits at night have been underway.”
Regarding plans to foster new local industries, both agreed on the need for sufficient support based on the KTX Cheonan-Asan Station R&D direct district.
Kang Hoon-sik said, “The KTX Cheonan-Asan Station R&D direct district is a project I have promoted since my first term to create a mini Silicon Valley in this area, focusing on display, semiconductors, bio, and future cars to build an industrial ecosystem for local companies.” He added, “There is also a 1 trillion won autonomous driving mobility infrastructure project and a 900 billion won non-emissive display project, both awaiting public contest and preliminary feasibility review, so expectations are high.”
Jeon Man-kwon stated, “It is necessary to ensure the smooth progress of the KTX Cheonan-Asan Station R&D direct district.” He pledged, “We will form a dedicated organization to promote the project, focus all efforts on attracting public institutions and research personnel, and support incoming companies with various financial and tax benefits.”
Meanwhile, the debate will be broadcast on the 23rd on SK Broadband Channel 1 at 11:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m., and 11:00 p.m.
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