Yang Jeong-mu, the People Power Party candidate for governor of Jeonbuk State, said in an interview with ChosunBiz on the 11th, "It has been 35 years since local autonomy began, but Jeonbuk has in effect walked only one path with the Democratic Party," and added, "Jeonbuk's fiscal self-reliance is the worst in the country because they don't feed the fish once they've caught it. Politics needs to move to a competitive structure for change to begin."
Yang pledged to prime the pump for the regional economy by distributing 2 million won in livelihood support per resident, and to create an "administrative approval expressway task force" to drastically shorten the permitting process needed to attract corporations.
- Jeonbuk is a stronghold for the Democratic Party of Korea. Do you have a strategy to overcome that?
"It has been 35 years since local autonomy began, but Jeonbuk has in effect walked only one path with the Democratic Party. That means Jeonbuk residents have very strong political loyalty. But looking at fiscal self-reliance, Jeonbuk ranks last nationwide. The second from the bottom is Jeonnam, and the third is Daegu. The common trait of the three is high political loyalty. There's a saying you don't feed the fish once you've caught it. If you support the party that offers policies suited to the region and move to another party when it presents better policies, politics becomes competitive. That's when change begins."
- You compared Jeonbuk and Chungnam.
"Chungnam's fiscal self-reliance is 48%, about twice Jeonbuk's. The same goes for population. Chungnam is not fixed to a particular party and instead votes for whoever presents the policies and development strategies it needs. After President Roh Moo-hyun, it elected President Lee Myung-bak, then President Park Geun-hye, and President Moon Jae-in. As a result, the political sphere competed to win Chungcheong sentiment by rolling out pledges and support measures, and the region changed rapidly."
- How serious is Jeonbuk's economic situation?
"When I ran for the 22nd National Assembly election and looked at the field, the situation was far more serious than I had thought. The population is declining by 10,000 a year, and fiscal self-reliance is about half the national average. There is plenty of land but a lack of infrastructure. Of the top 1,000 corporations, only three are in Jeonbuk. Jobs are scarce, and living standards such as sports, culture, and the arts do not meet young people's expectations."
- What solutions are needed?
"We need the conditions for corporations to come in: energy, talent, and infrastructure. Immediate groundbreaking for Saemangeum International Airport is necessary. Even if a top-tier corporation tries to come to Jeonbuk, if it has to travel two to three hours after getting off the plane, we cannot attract corporations.
Permitting issues are also important. Upon taking office, I will set up an "administrative approval expressway task force" in the governor's office. The governor will take ultimate responsibility so civil servants can quickly handle procedures related to corporate investment. We will cut processes that take two to three years to as long as six months or as short as three months."
- What are your energy pledges?
"Jeonbuk has Saemangeum, the country's largest reclaimed land. Currently, solar power generation is limited to regions south of the Yeongsan River, but it needs to be expanded to the Geum River basin. Renewable energy is not a choice but a necessity. Also, the energy source with the best production yield right now is nuclear power. We need to consider a stable power supply system like a nuclear plant in Saemangeum. Jeonbuk has vast land and many areas without nearby residences. It's worth reviewing. We should also actively consider LNG power so that when large-scale corporations like Hyundai Rotem or global data centers come in, investments are not delayed due to power shortages."
- Your No. 1 pledge is 2 million won in livelihood support for all residents.
"Livelihood support is needed as a primer to revive Jeonbuk's economy. Providing 2 million won per resident in livelihood support will be the primer that revives Jeonbuk's economy. Once money starts circulating in the market, consumption will pick up and the regional economy will be quickly revitalized. Just as a person needs a transfusion when lacking blood, the regional economy needs a bold transfusion."
- What do you think about support stump speeches by party leader Jang Dong-hyeok?
"Since we are already in the campaign, it is not right to talk about the leader's leadership. We must unite around the party leader elected by the members and fight the election. I do think the party needs strategic support and consideration for the Honam region. The highest-ever vote share for our party's candidate in Jeonbuk was the low 20% range. In this election, we aim to exceed that. I believe residents will make a wise choice. They will judge who can urgently solve Jeonbuk's economic problems."
☞ Who is Yang Jeong-mu
Born in Sunchang, Jeollabuk-do, Yang graduated from Wansan Middle School and Jeonju Youngsaeng High School, then earned a bachelor's in public administration and a master's in law from Jeonju University. He founded and runs Ranksfield, a golf club manufacturer. In the 2022 20th presidential election, he worked on the campaign of People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, and in the 2024 22nd National Assembly election, he ran as the People Power Party candidate in Jeonju-si A constituency and lost.