People Power Party Chungbuk governor candidate Kim Young-hwan said in an interview with ChosunBiz, "Seeing the Lee Jae-myung administration sideline Chungbuk makes me so angry," adding, "If you still vote for the Democratic Party in Chungbuk under these circumstances, you have no guts."
Kim said, "Under the Lee Jae-myung administration's national balanced development strategy of 5 hubs and 3 specials, Chungbuk is being left out," adding, "We are asking to at least open the path to a special self-governing province to save Chungbuk, but the Democratic Party just snorts." He added, "We do not expect incentives. Just ease the regulations."
Kim continued, "Conservative supporters have recently started to come back," adding, "If conservatives rally, an east-southeasterly wind will blow from Daegu–North Gyeongsang and Busan–South Gyeongsang to Chungcheong and the Seoul metropolitan area." He added, "The narrowing gap in poll support is the evidence." The interview with Kim took place on the 12th at his campaign office in Cheongju, Chungbuk.
─What are the key pledges in this election?
"During the current term, I focused on senior jobs with 'working meal-sharing' and 'urban farmers.' If re-elected, I will focus on youth employment. I will open a 'full employment era for youth' in Chungbuk."
─Is full employment for youth possible?
"I plan to implement the policy immediately in June after the election. I will do it even if I lose. The key is to pay 80,000 won per day to young people who work four hours a day. Employers will cover 50,000 won, and 30,000 won will be funded by public finances. We will provide jobs in Chungbuk that pay 20,000 won per hour. They will work four hours, and spend the remaining time completing AI education and startup programs."
─The fiscal burden seems heavy. There may also be criticism about paying 20,000 won per hour to young people.
"We will start with a pilot program for 1,000 people and expand after seeing the results. The annual fiscal cost is about 20 billion–30 billion won, which can be fully covered by local government tax revenue. A 20,000-won hourly wage is an investment in the future. In the era of AI and robots, youth jobs could all disappear. We need to help them find new possibilities and take on new challenges through startups."
─You also proposed founding a KBO Futures League (second team) club and building a domed stadium.
"Cheongju is a baseball city. We asked Hanwha Eagles to 'host some games in Cheongju,' but they slight us, saying the stadium is subpar. So we plan to build a domed stadium. It will be a 50,000-seat domed stadium, and if used as a performance venue, it could accommodate 100,000. If we build it in Osong, it will be easy to come from Gwangju and Daegu as well."
─Funding is the issue, as expected.
"SK hynix has strong operating results, bringing in about 1 trillion won in local government tax to Cheongju. Building the domed stadium will cost about 600 billion won, and if construction takes five to six years, we will need about 100 billion won annually. Along with local government tax revenue, the province also plans to provide fiscal support."
─How do you assess Democratic Party candidate Shin Yong-han?
"I was surprised by the primary results. Former lawmaker Noh Young-min, who lost in the Democratic Party primary for Chungbuk governor, is one of the top figures in this region. He served three terms in the National Assembly, as ambassador to China, and as presidential chief of staff. I do not know how Shin Yong-han broke through the primary. I am looking forward to the TV debate. I want to ask, 'Shin Yong-han, who are you?'"
─You and Shin Yong-han are alumni of the same high school and university, and your political paths are said to be similar.
"We are acquainted. It is true that we can speak comfortably. But I am not sure whether Shin has the experience and capability to take responsibility for the future of Chungbuk's 1.6 million people. I have four terms in the National Assembly, and I have served as Minister and governor. Before that, I took part in the democratization movement and was recognized as a merit awardee, but I returned my merit certificate. I changed parties because I concluded I could not possibly do politics together with those captivated by Juche ideology. It was not a conversion; it was a declaration of conscience."
☞Who is Kim Young-hwan
Born in 1955 in Cheongju, Chungbuk, he graduated from Cheongju High School and Yonsei University's College of Dentistry. He entered politics when he was recruited by former President Kim Dae-jung. He also served as Minister of Science and Technology in the Kim Dae-jung administration. He served four terms in the National Assembly with the Democratic Party camp in the 15th, 16th, 18th, and 19th terms. During the split of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy in 2015, he moved to the People's Party and later joined the United Future Party (UFP), aligning with a conservative party. He was elected Chungbuk governor in the 2022 local elections for the eighth popularly elected term.