Ruling Party Leader Kim Min-seok Suwon National Assemblymen Smiled ... 'Three Major Issues for Suwon' Also in Focus

With the newly elected leader of the Democratic Party, National Assemblyman Kim Min-seok(Yeongdeungpo District), attention is being drawn to the movements of Suwon-area national assemblymen who showed support or friendly stances toward Chairman Kim during the party convention process.

According to political circles on the 17th, Suwon-area national assemblymen took Kim Min-seok's side early in this party convention process.

Assemblyman Kim Jun-hyuk (Suwon-jeong District) declared open support both online and offline and participated in key schedules of candidate Kim. Assemblyman Kim Seung-won (Suwon-gap District) accompanied candidate Kim's announcement of candidacy in Gwangju last month and also attended the National Assembly press conference that same day. Assemblyman Yeom Tae-young (Suwon-mu District) publicly demanded that candidate Jung Cheong-rae withdraw his candidacy for party leader following the June local elections.

Assemblyman Kim Young-jin(Suwon-byeong District)expressed a negative stance toward Jung's reelection, and Assemblywomen Baek Hye-ryeon(Suwon-eul District)has no confirmed explicit public support declaration for Chairman Kim, but when Chairman Kim visited Suwon on the 14th, she participated in schedules at Motgol Market and Haenggung-dong.

As a result, a configuration has formed in Suwon where no incumbent assemblyman stands in stark opposition to the new party leader. While there were differences in the strength of support for Chairman Kim during the party convention process, no Suwon incumbent assemblymen have been confirmed to have publicly declared support for candidate Jung, and they either publicly supported Chairman Kim or participated in major political events with him.

The connection between Chairman Kim and Suwon existed before the party convention. In particular, it is noteworthy that the core issues Suwon city raised as needing central government support were directly conveyed to Chairman Kim during his tenure as Prime Minister.

Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun met with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok in January when he visited Suwon Convention Center in Yeongdeung-gu and presented a petition containing three core issues related to Suwon's future growth foundation, requesting government-level support.

The projects Suwon city proposed to Prime Minister Kim at that time were ▲Promotion of the national strategic project of 'civilian-military integration, international economic airport' through relocation of Suwon military airport ▲Designation of a national cutting-edge industrial research special district and Suwon Economic Free Zone (K-Silicon Valley) ▲Designation of King Jeongjo's royal procession as a 'national representative K-festival' and intensive development of K-Culture Road, totaling three initiatives.

The largest issue is the relocation of Suwon military airport. Suwon city proposed to Prime Minister Kim that the military airport relocation be promoted as a national strategic project for 'civilian-military integration, international economic airport' beyond a simple military facility relocation.

Specifically, the city requested the establishment and operation of a 'Suwon Military Airport Relocation Conflict Resolution Council' under the Office of the Prime Minister, and requested the government comprehensively promote military airport relocation in connection with metropolitan housing supply and the expansion of metropolitan transportation networks.

The military airport relocation issue is also intertwined with the Gyeonggi International Airport project. Gyeonggi Province has submitted a project proposal to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to reflect Gyeonggi International Airport in the 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan, but variables remain in project implementation as site surveys have been suspended. With the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport targeting announcement of the 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan in the second half of this year, whether Gyeonggi International Airport is reflected is drawing attention as a key regional issue.

Five national assemblymen from Suwon held a joint press conference in March demanding that Gyeonggi International Airport be reflected in the 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan.

The second is the designation of Suwon Economic Free Zone. Suwon city plans to establish a 'K-Silicon Valley' by pursuing economic free zone designation centered on R&D Science Park in western Suwon and Tapdong Innovation Valley. Suwon has already been selected as a candidate site for an economic free zone and is proceeding with final designation procedures.

Suwon city proposed to Prime Minister Kim the designation of both the economic free zone and national cutting-edge industrial research special district, while also presenting a national balanced development model of 'research in Suwon, manufacturing in local regions'.

The third is the designation of King Jeongjo's royal procession as a national representative K-festival.

Suwon city proposed to Prime Minister Kim to designate King Jeongjo's royal procession as a 'national representative K-festival' and provide national financial support to develop it into a global cultural and tourism content beyond a regional festival. The city also requested intensive development of a 'K-Culture Road' centered on King Jeongjo's royal procession.

The proposal submitted by Suwon city to Prime Minister Kim explicitly states the goal of developing King Jeongjo's royal procession into a global festival. The plan is to expand it to a national level tourism and cultural project, recognizing it as historical and cultural content connecting multiple regions including Seoul and Hwaseong, beyond a single Suwon area.

As Chairman Kim transitions from Prime Minister to ruling party leader, the role of addressing Suwon issues is expected to change. While he received Suwon city's proposals at the government level as Prime Minister, going forward as ruling party leader he will coordinate the party's positions in policy discussions with the government and during legislative and budgetary processes.

Suwon currently has all five district seats held by Democratic Party national assemblymen. With the President, Gyeonggi Provincial Governor, and Suwon Mayor all belonging to the Democratic Party, and Chairman Kim leading the ruling party after coordinating with Suwon-area assemblymen during the party convention process, assessments suggest that political conditions for promoting Suwon's issues have been created.

A local political figure said, “From the President through five regional national assemblymen, and with the Gyeonggi Provincial Governor and Suwon Mayor to the ruling party leader, from Suwon's perspective, political conditions have been set up to push forward major issues with momentum,” and“Since Chairman Kim already received Suwon's core issues as Prime Minister, the key is how concrete such major issues as military airport relocation and economic free zone designation can be made in party-government consultations and during legislative and budgetary processes,” he said.