Former lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon of the Reform Party announced a run for Gyeonggi governor in the June 3 local elections. Cho said, "The People Power Party, at best, comes in second," drawing a line against unifying the conservative camp and signaling an intention to run to the end.
Meeting with reporters at the National Assembly on the 28th right after his press conference, Cho, when asked about the possibility of unification, said, "They, at best, are second, but we can come in first," adding, "I will run to the end even without unification (with the People Power Party)."
Through his candidacy declaration that day, Cho said, "I stand here to let people know that there is a 'good candidate' when faced with the worst choice of having to pick between a bad candidate and a strange candidate."
Cho continued his criticism of the two major parties. To the Democratic Party of Korea, he asked, "During the Democratic Party's eight years in Gyeonggi, from Lee Jae-myung to Kim Dong-yeon, what has changed in residents' lives?"
Cho also said, "The People Power Party is proving on its own that it cannot be an alternative and does not have the capacity to win elections," adding, "Even with calls for them to run, senior figures are reluctant to step forward."
He added, "Gyeonggi needs practical administration, not political slogans," and "We should be judged not by labels but by competence and experience."
Cho then laid out a plan to raise the quality of life for residents by addressing the imbalance between southern and northern Gyeonggi, expanding transportation networks, and overhauling first-phase new towns.
Cho said, "The gap in living conditions between southern and northern Gyeonggi is a long-standing challenge for the province," adding, "We must further solidify the southern belt as an axis of Korea's growth and innovation, and ensure that its gains spread evenly nationwide, including to the north."
He continued, "For residents who have newly taken root in Gyeonggi, we must build a denser and more rational transportation network to ease daily inconveniences, and inject new development momentum into areas such as Bundang, Ilsan, Pyeongchon, Sanbon, and Jung-dong."