On February 25, former president of Korea South-East Power Kang Giyun held a press conference at the Changwon City Hall press center and officially announced that he will run in the Changwon mayoral election to be held on June 3.
Pre-candidate Kang explained his reason for running, saying, "I stand here with a grave determination to rebuild Changwon in crisis and take responsibility for the lives of its citizens," and adding, "I could no longer just stand by and watch the reality of my hometown Changwon, so I stepped down from the honorable position of head of the No. 1 public corporation and chose a difficult challenge."
He analyzed the situation by saying, "Changwon is now standing at a crossroads of great transformation," and "Even after the integration, the three regions of Masan, Changwon, and Jinhae still remain mired in a sense of alienation and imbalance; the manufacturing industry is losing its vitality; young people are leaving their hometown in search of jobs; and the administration has lost its direction due to a prolonged vacancy in the top post."
He went on to say, "What Changwon needs now is not a mayor who simply manages the city, but a practical and fully qualified leader who can properly run the city," stressing, "I promise the 1 million citizens of Changwon Special City that I will become Changwon's mayor of the economy and mayor of jobs."
Kang Giyun, former president of Korea South-East Power, has officially announced his candidacy for Changwon mayor. Reporter Lee Seryeong
Pre-candidate Kang introduced himself as a "fully qualified leader who will run Changwon," who has what he called three hearts: "the heart of an entrepreneur (regulatory reform)," "the heart of a politician (problem-solver for budgets and legislation)," and "the heart of an administrator (policy designer)."
He then put forward his main core pledges, including: operating a second city hall in Masan and a third city hall in Jinhae; installing deck roads along the 324-kilometer coastline and holding a national health walking competition every year on March 24; fostering Masan Port as a cruise hub port; and establishing a global tourism belt linking Masan Fish Market and Chang-dong.
He also pledged to ensure the early stabilization of the Changwon Second National Industrial Complex and transform it into a hub for future strategic industries such as small modular reactors (SMRs), defense, and aerospace, and to expand the logistics processing hinterland complex connected to the new Gadeokdo Airport in Jinhae and create a world-class tri-port hub.
In particular, he promised to attract investment in new and renewable energy projects worth 14 trillion won in areas such as solar, hydrogen, and wind power, thereby generating an economic ripple effect worth 30 trillion won, to provide household benefits at the level of 1 million won from energy profits, and to create 100,000 related jobs.
He also said he would ease regulations by changing the district unit plan for detached housing areas, 74 percent of which are aged, to allow a building-to-land ratio of 60 percent, a floor area ratio of 200 percent, and a height of up to four stories.
In addition, he pledged to build an artificial intelligence (AI)-based 24-hour disaster response system; operate 24-hour childcare centers; introduce a personal doctor system for the health of all citizens; improve treatment for nursing and health-care workers; build a public wedding hall; implement Changwon-style senior jobs 2.0 and guarantee basic income for the elderly; and expand park golf courses.
He further promised to keep the mayor's office open at all times, establish a "25-Hour Administrative Convenience Store" directly under the mayor to listen to citizens' voices, and visit the field every week.
Pre-candidate Kang said, "By drawing on my experience as an entrepreneur, politician, doctor of public administration, and CEO of a power generation public corporation, I will recreate Changwon, which is in crisis, and give a powerful boost to Changwon's economy," adding, "I will restore Changwon's pride not with words but with results and competence."
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