1년 넘게 공석 창원시장…새 주인은 누구? / KBS 2026.05.25.

[Anchor] Changwon City welcomes a new leader in this local election for the first time in about a year and four months. Reporter Jin Jeong-eun reports on the major pledges of the four candidates regarding who will lead the city administration, which is currently plagued with various pending issues. [Report] In December 2024, Changwon Special City saw its population fall below the one-million mark for the first time in 14 years since its merger. Having experienced a vacuum in city administration for over a year following the resignation of the previous mayor due to election law violations, the city's authority as a special city is under threat, and various major pending issues remain piled up. Song Soon-ho, the candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, promised the relocation of public institutions to the former Lotte Department Store in Masan, the achievement of 100 trillion won in production value at the Changwon Industrial Complex, and the development of the Jinhae New Port. [Song Soon-ho / Democratic Party of Korea Candidate for Changwon Mayor: "Changwon citizens are feeling very frustrated, feeling that nothing is working out and nothing is failing. Therefore, the most urgent task right now is to quickly normalize the stalled Changwon city administration."] People Power Party candidate Kang Ki-yoon pledged to create 100,000 jobs, provide a 1 million won energy pension, and make the Machang Bridge toll-free for all Changwon citizens. [Kang Ki-yoon / People Power Party Candidate for Changwon Mayor: "Our citizens are currently facing significant difficulties. I believe that the best welfare is jobs, and with the determination to create 100,000 jobs and build a prosperous Changwon..."] Reform Party candidate Kang Myung-sang promised to return profits from public development, extend the youth age limit to 45, and attract the KOTRA defense industry headquarters. [Kang Myung-sang / Reform Party Candidate for Changwon Mayor: "My intention is to return all future development in Changwon (development profits) to the citizens through the Changwon Urban Development Corporation."] Regarding the controversial reorganization of the integrated Changwon City administrative system, the three candidates responded as follows. [Song Soon-ho / Democratic Party of Korea Candidate for Changwon Mayor: "The proposal to separate Masan, Changwon, and Jinhae again is a very irresponsible claim and practically impossible to realize."] [Kang Ki-yoon / People Power Party Candidate for Changwon Mayor: "I discussed this issue from the perspective of strengthening decentralization, not to suggest separating them."] [Kang Myung-sang / Reform Party Candidate for Changwon Mayor: "I am opposed to separation. Rather, I intend to transform the current integration—a flawed and insufficient integration—into a fair and equitable..."] Independent candidate Park Jung-im promised to build a city with infrastructure power in sports and culture, a prestigious city of science, and a city where women and adults are happy. All eyes are on the choice of 980,000 citizens as to who will restart the momentum of Changwon City, the capital of Gyeongnam Province, which has been at a standstill for over a year. This is Jin Jeong-eun for KBS News. Copyright ⓒ KBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use (including AI learning) are prohibited. #KBSChangwon #ChangwonMayor #LocalElections #SongSunho #KangKiyoon #KangMyeongsang #ParkJeongim