Editor’s Note
This article reports on attorney Jang Moon-seok’s declaration of candidacy for the Jinju mayoral election, where he frames his run as a response to perceived civic decline.

Attorney Jang Moon-seok, who serves as a policy committee member for the Gyeongnam Il District People’s Livelihood Practice Committee of the Democratic Party, declared his candidacy for the Jinju mayoral election on the 15th.
Attorney Jang Moon-seok stated his reasons for running at a press conference in the briefing room of Jinju City Hall.
He pointed out “the incompetence of past mayors, their laziness and arrogance in not communicating with citizens,” criticizing showy administrative displays and unrealistic corporate attraction practices.
He then presented various job policies as alternatives, including the reconstruction of an innovation cluster involving the relocation of secondary public institutions, the establishment of industrial ecosystems such as the aerospace industry, and the designation of a youth startup pilot project special zone.
In particular, he pledged to designate a ‘Startup (Youth Entrepreneurship) Pilot Project Special Zone’ through a city ordinance to provide human, material, and financial support so that young people nationwide can challenge startups in Jinju.
When asked whether financial support for youth startups exceeding rental costs is legally possible, Attorney Jang Moon-seok said,
adding,
He also stated that he would seek out companies that can actually come, rather than large corporations, secure stable jobs for parents raising children, and increase the number of child care centers and kids’ spaces where children can be cared for safely.
Furthermore, regarding the recent joining of the Democratic Party by former lawmaker Choi Koo-sik, Attorney Jang Moon-seok conveyed his position: