Editor’s Note
This article reports on the political candidacy announcement of Park Myung-kyun, a former provincial official, for the upcoming mayoral election in Jinju, South Korea.
Former Gyeongsangnam-do Vice Governor for Administration Park Myung-kyun has announced his candidacy for the Jinju mayoral election. Park, a member of the People Power Party, held a press conference at the Jinju City Hall briefing room on the 18th, stating, “I intend to run for Jinju mayor next year to create a hopeful Jinju that opens a new future of 100 years.”
In his declaration, he proposed, “I will restore relations with local members of the National Assembly and ensure Jinju’s pending issues are reflected in Gyeongsangnam-do’s core projects and national initiatives through active communication with the provincial and central governments.” He added, “To strengthen communication with citizens, I will operate an ‘Open Mayor’s Office’ on the first floor of the city hall and a ‘Field Mayor’s Office’ that visits townships and neighborhoods at least once a month.”
He further stated, “By revitalizing the local commercial district, I will revive the common people’s economy and definitely improve the deteriorating living environment in the old downtown to enhance residents’ housing welfare and quality of life.”
Regarding sustainable growth, he said, “I will foster future strategic industries like aerospace.”
On becoming a cultural tourism city, he remarked, “Jinju is a city with history, stories, and people. However, the city administration so far has only managed these precious assets and failed to grow them into a city brand.”
He also presented other pledges: “I will transform Jinju into a city where young talents stay and visit,” “I will dramatically improve Jinju’s road network to build a 30-minute living zone,” “I will make Jinju a safe city to protect the property and lives of Jinju citizens,” “I will increase the flood control capacity of the Namgang Dam and strengthen disaster response capabilities,” and “I will reduce serious child traffic accidents in school zones to zero.”
He emphasized, “The current Jinju is at a moment of both important opportunity and crisis. To properly utilize this opportunity, a competent leader is needed.”
Park Myung-kyun is a graduate of Dan’gye Elementary School, Sindung Middle School, Jinju Daea High School, and Pusan National University. His career includes positions such as Chief of the Address Policy Division at the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, Director of the Gyeongsangnam-do Human Resources Development Institute, Policy Planning Officer at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, Director of the Planning and Coordination Office at the Korea Local Information Research & Development Institute, and Director of the Prevention Policy Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. He served as Gyeongsangnam-do Vice Governor for Administration from September 2024 until his resignation on the 10th of this month.
