Park Sugi Declares Candidacy for Gwangsan District Mayor: "A CEO Who Treats Residents as Shareholders"

Vision for "Gwangsan District Co., Ltd."
Vowing to Return Administrative Achievements to Residents
Pushing Future Vehicle Industrial Complex and Transfer Hub
Announcing Four Key Pledges Including Gwangsan High School

On the 26th, in the 3rd-floor briefing room of the Gwangju City Council, Park Sugi, the Democratic Party's preliminary candidate for Gwangsan District mayor, held a press conference announcing his candidacy and, holding placards reading "Integrated Special City Growth No.1" and others, posed for a commemorative photo with supporters. Photo by Song Bohyun

On the 26th, Park Sugi, the Democratic Party of Korea's preliminary candidate for Gwangsan District mayor, held a press conference at the Gwangju City Council and officially declared his candidacy for Gwangsan District mayor in the June local elections. Park stated, "I will become a competent CEO of 'Gwangsan District Co., Ltd.,' where residents are treated as shareholders and the achievements of the administration are distributed as dividends."

On this day, Park said, "Even though warning bells of local extinction are ringing throughout Gwangsan District, the administration remains trapped in outdated inertia," adding, "Now is the time to bring about tangible changes in residents' lives through a shift in thinking and innovative local self-governance." He went on to stress, "I will make sure to realize 'the No. 1 new growth hub of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City' and 'Gwangsan District Co., Ltd.'"

He presented "Gwangsan District Co., Ltd." as the core vision of his candidacy declaration. His idea is to designate residents as shareholders and the district mayor as CEO, and to shift to a "resident-sovereign-centered management" system that returns the achievements of district administration to local residents. To this end, he announced plans to promote the establishment of a Resident Shareholder Center, the creation of a digital participation platform that publicly discloses district administration performance in real time, and the introduction of a profit-sharing system for local energy projects and industrial complex development. He said, "I will create a structure in which the outcomes of administration are directly linked to increased income and quality of life for residents."

Regarding discussions on administrative integration between Gwangju and Jeonnam, he emphasized Gwangsan District's strategic role. Park said, "With the largest jurisdictional area among districts nationwide, a young demographic structure, and assets such as KTX Gwangju Songjeong Station, Gwangju Airport, and a national industrial complex, Gwangsan District has the conditions to become a key growth axis of the Integrated Special City," adding, "I will elevate Gwangsan District to the status of the capital district of the Integrated Special City and to a level equivalent to a special autonomous district, thereby securing independent licensing authority and fiscal autonomy."

At the press conference, four key pledges for realizing "Gwangsan District Co., Ltd." were also presented. In the economic and industrial sector, he pledged to attract an anchor plant on the scale of Kia Motors, centered on the national industrial complex for future vehicles, to create jobs, and to leverage the advantages of the Opportunity Development Special Zone and specialized clusters for materials, parts, and equipment to attract large corporations. He plans to return the resulting benefits to residents through local currency or welfare points.

Park Sugi, a preliminary candidate for Gwangsan District Mayor from the Democratic Party of Korea, declared his candidacy at the Gwangju City Council on the 26th and, together with attendees, is holding up a placard reading "New! Different! Together!". Photo by Song Bohyun

In the transportation sector, he pledged to create a transfer hub linked to the relocation of the intercity bus terminal to the site of the Kumho Tire Gwangju plant, and to establish a "triple transportation hub" connecting KTX Gwangju Songjeong Station, Gwangju Airport, and intercity buses. In the education sector, he pledged to promote the opening of the tentatively named Gwangsan High School in 2027, expand public care infrastructure, and build a vocational and technical education system linked to the future vehicle and AI industries.

He also presented a three-stage implementation roadmap. The first stage is to convert the administrative infrastructure into a management system and build a foundation for resident participation; the second stage is to produce visible outcomes such as the groundbreaking of the anchor company and approval of the transfer hub development plan; and the third stage is to secure the status of a special autonomous district and complete a system for returning industrial achievements to residents.

Park referred to his experience as a Gwangju City Council member in opening meetings of the Urban Planning Committee to the public, saying, "Just as I once opened the doors of a closed administration, I will run district affairs in a transparent and accountable manner." He added, "The true meaning of decentralization lies in the practical improvement of residents' lives," and declared, "I will be a district mayor who proves himself through results, not words, and a CEO who delivers execution."