The Ulsan mayoral race is being contested in a five-way battle among the Democratic Party of Korea, the People Power Party, the Rebuilding Korea Party, The Progressive Party, and an independent. If progressive-leaning candidates do not consolidate, a conservative-leaning candidate could win. In particular, attention is on whether the Democratic Party of Korea and The Progressive Party will unify their candidates.
Kim Sang-uk, the Democratic Party of Korea nominee, said in an interview with ChosunBiz on the 11th, "A candidate does not have the authority to unify," and noted, "This is an issue the central party needs to sort out." For unification to be effective, it needs to be completed by the 17th at the latest, the day before the main ballot papers are printed.
Recent polling showed that if you combine the support rates of the Democratic Party of Korea candidate and The Progressive Party candidate, it exceeds that of the People Power Party candidate. In a poll (wireless ARS, landline RDD) of 804 Ulsan voters conducted on the 4th to 5th by Public Opinion Research at the request of KBS Ulsan and the Ulsan Maeil Newspaper, People Power Party candidate Kim Doo-kyum had 37.1% and Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kim Sang-uk had 32.9%. The Progressive Party candidate Kim Jong-hun followed with 14.2%, and independent candidate Park Maeng-woo had 8.5%. For details, refer to the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.
– Candidate unification with The Progressive Party has not been achieved.
"After the coup, The Progressive Party cooperated in the presidential election and always cooperated on policy, so it will try to secure at least a 10% equity share in the local elections. Then the Democratic Party of Korea should make accommodations, but instead it just awarded nominations nationwide without that. That is why it is heading toward a collision. This is a matter the central party needs to coordinate. As of now, unification is difficult."
– You were a first-term lawmaker in the 22nd National Assembly. What prompted you to run for Ulsan mayor?
"I, too, hesitated on a personal level because Ulsan is a tough district politically and my National Assembly term remains. But the Democratic Party of Korea does not have a deep bench of politicians in Ulsan. And in Ulsan, power and vested interests have come to completely subjugate citizens. Ulsan has been isolated, left out of the discussion on administrative integration of Busan and South Gyeongsang, and a Democratic Party of Korea victory is needed to stop this total crisis."
– You are the only candidate for a metropolitan mayoral post from the Democratic Party of Korea who was born in the 1980s.
"I want to change old-school politics. So this time, while pushing for campaign reform, I am running a 'four-no campaign' without money, slander, organizations, or mobilization. I will show a victory using the least money among all metropolitan mayors nationwide. I want to show that even without money, connections, or clout, if you have ability, you can do it. Young people's politics should conserve citizens' public discussion venues and taxpayers' money."
– You are emphasizing "labor-centered AX (artificial intelligence transformation)" as a key pledge.
"Changes driven by artificial intelligence (AI) are even greater on the industrial shop floor. If corporations and capital monopolize AI technology and replace labor, workers will launch a 'Luddite movement.' Then corporations will leave Korea. So as an alternative, we should turn workers into future-oriented laborers who train and manage AI on manufacturing sites and earn revenue from it."
– Do you have plans to attract more young people to revive Ulsan's regional economy?
"For young people in Ulsan, job quality is poor. That is why 'labor-centered AX' is needed. Corporations can speed up the transition, and workers can get high-wage jobs. Even looking at Hyundai Motor now, it is clear headcount will be reduced. We need to increase high-wage jobs through industrial AX and improve living conditions. We also need to increase jobs in education, culture, and health care to raise job quality."
– How do you plan to address imbalances among districts within Ulsan?
"We need to resolve imbalances by choosing development strategies suited to each area. For example, in Buk-gu, there is a lack of cultural and administrative infrastructure directly tied to living conditions. In Nam-gu, transportation issues must be solved, period. But there has been no such effort. Nam-gu already has many amenities, yet more are being built; Buk-gu has many apartments, yet more keep going up. It is important to fill what each area lacks."
☞ Who is Kim Sang-uk
Born in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang, Kim graduated from Yeongjin High School in Daegu and Korea University with a degree in law. In 2009, Kim entered the Busan National University School of Law and passed the first bar exam. After becoming a legal professional, Kim mainly worked in Ulsan, founding Jeongseong Law Office in 2014 and Deojeongseong Law Firm in 2018, serving as managing attorney. In the 22nd general election, Kim ran as a People Power Party candidate and won. During the 21st presidential race, Kim left the People Power Party and joined the Democratic Party of Korea.