Gangwon governor candidate dogged by offensive remarks on uprising

President Yoon Suk-yeol, third from right, his aides and other politicians pay tribute to the fallen during the Gwangju Uprising at May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, May 18. Joint Press Corps.

PPP's Kim Jin-tae leads despite controversial remarks; DPK's Lee Kwang-jae promotes special self-governing province designation

By Ko Dong-hwan

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, Wednesday morning, to commemorate the popular pro-democracy uprising that took place in the southwestern city 42 years ago.

He was joined by members of his Cabinet and politicians from both the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), as well as family members who lost loved ones during the 1980 uprising ― for which the lowest number of fatalities have been estimated at 193, injuries numbering over 3,100 and those arrested or tortured amounting to almost 1,600.

While all those assembled joined in grieving the memory of the tragedy of the Chun Doo-hwan junta's military suppression of the popular uprising, Kim Jin-tae, the PPP candidate running in the Gangwon provincial governor election set for June 1, sat it out. Instead, he went canvassing at ports in the eastern coastal cities of Donghae and Samcheok in Gangwon Province.

"I have sincerely apologized for what I had said regarding the Gwangju Uprising," Kim said in a YTN radio interview on May 16. "I will try to keep my political remarks to a minimum as I am right now aiming to become a governor looking out for the people. Many say I have changed from my previous public image as a fierce fighter."

In a public hearing held in 2019, a far-right activist named Ji Man-won made headlines by claiming that the Gwangju Uprising was led by North Korean soldiers who had infiltrated the South, rather than local residents who were resisting dictator Chun's coup d'etat which began in December 1979. Ji and other similar-minded speakers at the hearing claimed that those who had died in the government-suppressed uprising were "North Korean special forces" and denounced their bereaved family members. Kim, then-lawmaker of the Saenuri Party (a predecessor of the PPP), invited Ji and hosted the controversial event that embraced his distorted version of history.

"Us far-right groups shouldn't back down from this Gwangju Uprising issue (against the liberal DPK)," Kim had said during the hearing, expressing his outright support for Ji and his followers.

Kim Jin-tae, the ruling People Power Party's Gangwon gubernatorial election candidate, speaks during the party's launching event of his election campaign office in Wonju, May 14. Yonhap

His involvement in the hearing still dogs him like a shadow. A citizen's group supporting those lost during the Gwangju Uprising on May 17 held a press conference at Gangwon Provincial Government's headquarters in Chuncheon demanding Kim withdraw his election bid. "He doesn't deserve to lead Gangwon," the participants said, adding that 160 students from different universities in the province had also been arrested and fallen victim to the junta's violence during the uprising.

The PPP, wary that Kim might hamper the party's efforts to unite the country ― particularly lawmakers and supporters of the liberal DPK ― cut him off from running in the party's primary in April to select the candidate for the Gangwon race. An hour later, Kim showed up in front of the National Assembly, apologized for his past misdeeds and promised he would behave from then on. The party then reconsidered and eventually selected him as their candidate.

At a launching event on May 14 of the election campaign office for the DPK's Gangwon gubernatorial election candidate Lee Kwang-jae, DPK co-chairperson Park Ji-hyun said Kim apologized only to get the party's support for his gubernatorial election bid. "PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok should drop Kim from the race," Park said. "That's the only way Kim can make a true apology."

DPK candidate Lee Kwang-jae, on the other hand, has been promoting himself as the key figure behind Gangwon having recently taken a giant step closer to being designated a special self-governing province. The National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on May 16 passed a proposal pushing for Gangwon to be designated a special self-governing province.

The designation, which is to be finalized after passage in a National Assembly plenary meeting scheduled for May 26, allows the provincial government more freedom in hiring and administrating public workers as well as less regulatory stipulations required for industrial investments throughout the province. A greater budget from the central government is likely to be allocated to the province following the designation as well. Gangwon will be the country's third special self-governing province following Jeju and Sejong.

"Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province is my first pledge that I have accomplished and my first gift for the people of Gangwon," Lee said during a press conference at the provincial government's headquarters on May 17. "Yoon's presidential transition committee had said they were going to consider making Gangwon a self-governing province in 2025, but that's the same thing as saying they just want to ignore it."

Lee Kwang-jae, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's Gangwon gubernatorial election candidate, speaks during the party's launching event of his election campaign office in Wonju, May 14. Newsis

Lee, who served as the Gangwon provincial governor from 2010 until 2011, said in the press conference that the recent designation was what the province ― shackled by various regulations and an insecure, cash-strapped budget ― needs most. "It is the only solution to revive Gangwon's economy and open up opportunities," he said.

Yook Dong-han, the DPK's candidate for the Chuncheon mayoral election who stood beside Lee at the press conference, said that although the National Assembly committee's passage of Gangwon's new designation was done during Yoon's new administration, it wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for Lee's years of efforts.

The PPP's Gangwon chapter in Chuncheon launched an election preparation committee on May 17 and swore to win the majority of the regional constituencies. PPP floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong said at the event that the lawmakers who had helped Yoon become president the most are all from Gangwon. Kim, who attended the event, said that it will have to be the ruling party's job to run the new Gangwon Self-Governing Province more effectively. "I will become the province's governor and complete the special self-governing province," he said.

On May 16, Kim visited the Gangwon office of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, one of the country's two major umbrella labor unions, and announced pledges for young adults, small- to medium-size company operators, artists and those in the cultural industries, as well as traditional market vendors. "Gangwon's economy has been badly affected by COVID-19 and the interest rate hikes, which I would like to reorganize," Kim said.

Lee, meanwhile, visited the Gangwon office of Korea Senior Citizens Association on May 17 and pledged he will make Gangwon a happy place for seniors to live by allowing those aged 65 or older take public buses for free, subsidizing seniors living alone on a monthly basis, and boosting government support for those suffering from dementia.

Public opinion surveys showed that Kim is ahead of Lee. A survey conducted by Rnsearch May 15 to 16, showed that 53.7 percent of respondents supported Kim and 36.8 percent supported Lee. Another survey by JTBC showed that 45 percent of respondents supported Kim and 34 percent backed Lee.