Kim Kyung-soo, a former governor of South Gyeongsang Province known as a supporter of Moon Jae-in, declared his candidacy for the 21st presidential election on the 13th. In his announcement, he presented ideas for constitutional amendments, five Mega Cities, and the transfer of the administrative capital.
On the same day, Kim held a press conference at the Sejong City Hall briefing room to announce his presidential candidacy and noted, "I will overcome the crisis of South Korea with the same urgency as when I was on a hunger strike calling for Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment," and stated, "I will build a strong country with humble power."
Kim emphasized the importance of both ending civil unrest and constitutional amendments. He stated, "We need political and institutional reforms that allow us to share power, monitor, and control it so that unfortunate situations like a state of emergency do not happen again," and added, "The completion of ending civil unrest is the constitutional amendment."
He also mentioned, "I will push for '100 days of compromise and vision creation' immediately after the new government's launch," and added, "Forces that oppose civil unrest and uphold the constitution will come together to fiercely discuss solutions to the national crisis and create an agreement to form a 'coalition of light.'"
As a vision for national governance, he announced the 'Five Region Mega City Autonomous Governments.' He plans to allocate more than 30 trillion won annually to the budget of the Mega City autonomous governments, allowing them to freely implement social and economic policies. The five Mega Cities will establish a metropolitan transportation network and set up policy finance institutions to invest in the region.
Kim emphasized, "No advanced country in the world has as many people and capital concentrated in the metropolitan area as we do," and added, "Regions must overcome the inefficiencies of the metropolitan area and utilize all the energy of the nation, including human and material resources."
He also revealed plans to fully transfer the administrative capital to Sejong City. Kim is said to have chosen Sejong City as the location for his candidacy announcement to signify the push for the transfer of the administrative capital. His status as the last secretary to former President Roh Moo-hyun also influenced this decision.
Kim stated, "The Democratic Party, which holds both the achievements and lessons of the three Democratic governments of Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in, will demonstrate capable leadership based on experience," and added, "I will create a South Korea where the nation, autonomous governments, and citizens come together as one to achieve prosperity for all."