Translation result
We’ll shoulder 2% of the 3% growth and the supplementary budget drive
Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong‑yeon said the first 10 months of the Lee Jae‑myung administration “have been an exhilarating time economically,” noting that the president set a 3% potential growth target. He said Gyeonggi Province has pledged to deliver 2 percentage points of that goal by backing housing and growth policies on the ground.
Kim told OhmyTV’s “Park Jung‑ho’s Hotspot” on the 20th that during the three years of the Yoon Suk Yeol government, Gyeonggi countered fiscal austerity with expanded spending, responded most actively to climate-policy backsliding, increased the social-economy budget by more than 200%, and sharply raised R&D funding. He said the province even earned the label of an “exile government” for boldly opposing Yoon’s policy reversals. By contrast, Kim praised the Lee administration for prioritizing speed and tangible results, saying it has shown quick decision‑making in crises and underscored how vital a leader’s judgment can be during economic and security shocks such as the Middle East situation. “Even as an economist, I’m impressed by the administration’s economic insight,” he added.
Kim said that when President Lee proposed a 3% potential growth target, Gyeonggi committed to delivering 2 percentage points of it. “On housing, we announced a plan to supply 800,000 homes,” he said, “and we’ve deployed special judicial police to crack down on market‑distorting actors like price‑fixing cartels and rental fraud.” He expressed confidence that the Lee administration could be the first to achieve both housing stability and growth, and vowed that Gyeonggi would be the government’s primary partner on those two fronts.
He strongly backed the supplementary budget plan President Lee recently proposed. Kim said opposition criticisms that it is populism or vote‑buying reflect either ignorance of economics, pure obstructionism, or both. “Given the Middle East crisis, an exchange rate in the 1,500 KRW range (about $1.13), and severe hardship among small businesses and the self‑employed, we need a swift, bold, and sufficient response,” he said.
“You spend the budget when you need it. Now is the time to inject funds, not to hoard them,” Kim said. He called the president’s decision to move quickly on the supplementary budget timely and judged the scale—around 20 trillion KRW (about $15 billion)—to be appropriate. Gyeonggi will support the effort by preparing its own supplementary budget.
On conflicts with the central government during Yoon Suk Yeol’s tenure, Kim said, “Over three years, prosecutors have raided the provincial office 14 times, and they even searched my office and computer. Investigators and prosecutors once remained in the provincial meeting room for nearly a month, and Gyeonggi was treated unequally in various policy and budget decisions.”
He added that even when the president attended a major Gyeonggi investment event, the governor was deliberately excluded. Despite that pressure, Kim said the provincial administration pursued expansionary fiscal policy, climate action, social‑economy programs, and R&D investments—taking a path opposite the central government’s.
Asked about former lawmaker Yoo Seung‑min, who some see as a potential rival in an “economist vs. economist” matchup from the opposition, Kim said he hoped the public would not be tired again by chants of “Yoon Again” or “Tto‑Yoon.” He said Yoo could be one of the candidates, but there is no need to single him out. “What matters is that a competent, upstanding, and competitive candidate emerges and competes on policy,” Kim said. He added, “If I clear the primary, I will not only win the gubernatorial race decisively but also lead the Democratic Party to sweep all 31 cities and counties—securing victories for mayors, provincial assembly members, and city councilors.”
On Gyeonggi’s recent cancellation of YouTuber Jeon Han‑gil’s “Yoon Again” concert booking, Kim said he was determined not to allow groups chanting “Yoon Again” or “Tto‑Yoon” any use of Gyeonggi venues. The event was canceled decisively because it was disguised as a March 1st family cultural performance and distorted the spirit of the March 1st Movement, he said. “I wasn’t afraid at all,” he added, noting that even if on‑site attendance would have been low, the organizers likely aimed for viral reach on YouTube. Gyeonggi could not tolerate its venues being used to stage what it saw as an attempted revival of illegal martial‑law or insurrectionist forces.
Kim concluded by framing the upcoming local elections as both a positive judgment on the Lee administration’s first‑year achievements and as a verdict on the political forces chanting “Yoon Again.” “A president who gets things done needs a governor who gets things done,” he said. “We don’t have a minute to waste on missteps or trial‑and‑error. When it comes to the economy, livelihoods, and growth, I am confident I will outwork anyone.”
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