On the 18th, Democratic Party of Korea Jeonbuk governor candidate Lee Won-taek said in an interview with ChosunBiz about the expulsion of former Jeonbuk Gov. Kim Kwan-young, "As the cash handout video was intensively reported by almost every outlet, the entire nation was appalled," adding, "Undeniable evidence came out on video, so even the person involved could not deny it and admitted it. It must have been an unavoidable choice at the party level."
Lee strongly rebutted the claim of "unfair nominations" raised by Kim's camp. Lee said, "If the party had turned a blind eye to Kim's clear violations of current law, the sure-win strategy for these local elections would have fallen apart," criticizing, "Kim trying to question the party's fairness is like spitting again into the well that accepted his readmission."
Lee also played down Kim's four years of provincial administration, saying the promises to attract investment and create jobs were not properly kept. He said, "I will not repeat the failures of the Kim Kwan-young administration."
-Kim argues the nominations were unfair. What is your position?
"Jung Chung-rae is a non-faction politician. I understand that Kim Kwan-young's expulsion was an unavoidable choice at the party level. As the cash handout video was intensively reported by almost every outlet, the entire nation was appalled. If the party had turned a blind eye to Kim Kwan-young's clear violations of current law, the sure-win strategy for the June 3 local elections would have fallen apart. Reflecting that sense of crisis, the emergency expulsion of Kim Kwan-young was passed unanimously without a single dissent."
-A special counsel cleared Kim of the charge of aiding and abetting insurrection.
"I raised the issue based on official provincial government documents produced on the night of the insurrection and immediately after, and on wording from the responsible senior official. The special counsel's non-indictment is not a judicial ruling, so Kim Kwan-young claiming that my challenge has been definitively proven false is an unconvincing political attack."
-How would you assess Kim Kwan-young's four years of administration?
"Kim announced that he had attracted 27 trillion won in investment during his term and would attract 50 trillion won in the next (term). There was also an announcement that about 20,000 jobs were created through attracting corporations. However, according to the data compiled by the provincial government and submitted to the provincial council, the amount that actually led to investment is less than 10%. The number of jobs is also under 1,000. I will not repeat the failures of the Kim Kwan-young administration."
-What are the specific plans to attract corporations?
"I will intensively foster '100 local star corporations' that will firmly support Jeonbuk's economy from the ground up. At the same time, I will ensure the '9 trillion won large-scale investment in Saemangeum by Hyundai Motor Group' is reliably implemented early within the president's term. Based on an AI data center and a robot manufacturing plant, I will mobilize all administrative power as a ruling-party governor so residents can tangibly feel the effect of around 70,000 direct and indirect jobs. I will establish a 'physical AI ecosystem' in Jeonbuk that encompasses semiconductor design and robot parts validation, and appoint an expert as a 'physical AI vice governor for economic affairs.'"
-What is your position on transferring the semiconductor cluster to Saemangeum?
"I will build a 'core strategic axis of the southern semiconductor belt' in which the Seoul metropolitan area and Saemangeum, as 'co-growth partners' rather than substitutes, divide industrial roles. If the metropolitan area handles the core technology axis of manufacturing and design, Saemangeum should become a base responsible for power, validation, and back-end processes by leveraging its overwhelming strength—renewable energy infrastructure that the metropolitan area lacks. I will attract a 'joint semiconductor validation plant (test fab) of about 3 trillion won' and a packaging industrial complex in connection with large corporations through bold tax incentives."
-What pledges are unique to Lee Won-taek?
"I will immediately launch a 'bailout finance and legal defense package' to protect small business owners on the brink with law and finance, and introduce 'Plus Jeonbuk Pay' that returns 10% of spending as coupons dedicated to neighborhood commercial districts. I will build a 'sunlight and wind pension city' that returns Saemangeum's solar and wind to residents as their assets. By 2040, I will build large-scale renewable energy facilities across Jeonbuk, including Saemangeum, and turn the revenue generated into a fund to establish a basic-income-style safety net that pays dividends of up to 10 million won per household per year to residents."
☞Who is Lee Won-taek
Born in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, Lee graduated from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Jeonbuk National University. He entered politics in 2005 by taking a party post with the Uri Party and was elected to the Jeonju city council in the 4th local elections the following year. He later served as chief of staff to Gov. Song Ha-jin in the 6th popularly elected administration of North Jeolla Province and as a presidential office administrator in the Moon Jae-in administration in 2017, then as North Jeolla Province vice governor for economic affairs in 2019. In the 21st general election in 2020, he ran in Gimje and Buan as the Democratic Party of Korea candidate and won, and in the 22nd general election in 2024, he won reelection in Gunsan, Gimje, and Buan.