People Power Party Gyeongnam governor candidate Park Wan-su said in an interview with ChosunBiz, "A governor is not a politician but a worker who manages local affairs well, and during the first term I stayed true to that."
Candidate Park is seeking a second term as Gyeongnam governor. Regarding Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kim Kyeong-soo, a former Gyeongnam governor, Park said, "While serving as governor, he pursued policy projects with only concepts and without proper execution systems, wasting time and administrative capacity." Park also said, "Kim quit in the middle as a National Assembly member, a governor, and the head of the Committee for the Era of Local Autonomy, becoming a 'model of midterm resignation.'"
Park said, "The provincial administration fell into disarray as successive governors who dreamed of the presidency resigned midterm," adding, "I carried out my duties with a mindset of taking responsibility to the end, and there must be no more halts to the provincial administration." The interview with ChosunBiz was conducted on the 14th.
—What prompted your bid for a second term?
"Four years before I took office as governor, Gyeongnam suffered a prolonged administrative vacuum. I thought I, who have never once left Gyeongnam, had to step up so that failed provincial governance would not take root again in Gyeongnam and so that successful and proven governance would continue."
—What is your strength?
"Serving as Changwon mayor, CEO of Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), National Assembly member, and governor, I fulfilled responsibilities solidly with experiences of success. Because I did not weigh political gains and losses, I was also assessed as 'not political.' That is because I believed the position of governor is not about politics but about being a worker who manages local affairs well, and I stayed true to that."
—Your No. 1 pledge is welfare. In the last election, you fronted the economy. What do you want to emphasize?
"We unveiled the 'Happiness Up (UP) Five Key Welfare' by expanding various welfare policies from the 8th popularly elected term that received good reviews. We will actively support groups that were relatively undercovered by national welfare, such as people in their 40s and 50s and women, and aim to ensure residents of all ages in the province enjoy at least one Gyeongnam-style welfare benefit. To that end, we will create a 400 billion won Provincial Residents' Happiness Fund over four years. We will introduce the 'Gyeongnam Resident Membership Card,' which provides various discounts for Gyeongnam residents aged 18 and older, and plan to offer welfare points that residents in their 40s and 50s can use for shopping, medical care, and leisure. We will also push 'Gyeongnam Resident Pension Season 2.'"
—Candidate Kim Kyeong-soo claims Gyeongnam fell into a swamp of negative growth last year.
"It is not finalized, so it is not factual. Kim served as governor from 2018 to 2021. It increased from 114.9 trillion won (nominal) in 2018 to 118.2 trillion won in 2021, a rise of about 3.3 trillion won. In the 8th term, it rose from 126.9 trillion won in 2022 to 151.2 trillion won in 2024, an increase of more than 24 trillion won. Then who did better?"
—Gyeongnam was seen as a region with clear support for the People Power Party. But some polls show you trailing the ruling party. What is the cause?
"I am sorry to those suffering in silence out of shame over the party's infighting. Fundamentally, since the party leadership is the highest decision-making and executive body, it also bears responsibility for the fall in party approval. From the impeachment to now, as nominations near completion, the biggest reason is that we have failed to show the public an image worthy of support. The central party must minimize internal division and build a unified messaging system that can rally conservatives again. I also think the party must present a united front to draw turnout from conservatives who are indifferent. If we move in concert, approval will rise again."
☞Who is Park Wan-su
Born in Tongyeong, Gyeongnam, Park entered Masan Technical High School after graduating middle school, saying he wanted to help his family, which was struggling financially. After graduating, he worked at an electronics company in the Masan Free Export Zone while studying, and in the year he graduated, he passed the higher civil service exam. After passing, wanting to work in Gyeongnam where he was born and raised, he did not go to a central ministry and began his public service career at the Gyeongnam Provincial Government. He later served as Hapcheon county chief and Gimhae vice mayor, and he was a three-term Changwon mayor, including the inaugural mayor of the unified Changwon. He also served as CEO of Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) and as a two-term National Assembly member.