Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party presidential candidate, visited Daejeon on the 12th, the first day of the official election campaign for the 21st presidential election. This move is interpreted as an effort to appeal to the voting sentiment of the Chungcheong region, which has historically played a casting vote role in elections, and to unite the party and its supporters, which have been divided over the candidate replacement controversy.
On that afternoon, Kim attended the launch ceremony of the Chungcheong election campaign committee held at the Daejeon City Party, promising to transfer the presidential office, open the CTX (Daejeon-Sejong-Chungbuk Metropolitan Railway), and provide tax benefits for corporations relocating to the region, while vowing to win the election.
In his speech at the launch ceremony, Kim emphasized again his pledge to transfer the presidential office to Sejong City, saying, “If elected, I will move the National Assembly to Sejong City. And I will definitely establish the presidential office in Sejong City and work from there.”
He also stated, “I will surely open the high-speed railway CTX, which connects Daejeon to Sejong, Sejong to Osong, and Osong to Cheongju Airport,” adding, “CTX will run at a speed of 180km/h. It will allow quick travel within an hour among North and South Chungcheong provinces, Sejong, and Daejeon. I will surely develop Cheongju Airport through CTX and make it a transportation hub.”
In addition, he promised to alleviate various regulations, including the release of the greenbelt. Kim said, “If I take office as president, I will immediately transfer authority to the local areas,” adding, “The central government should give up control over greenbelt regulations, letting Daejeon handle it as it sees fit.”
He continued, “We need to boldly invest in schools, such as KAIST in Daejeon, to enable students to study while also starting their own businesses inside the schools,” and stated, “I will ensure that Chungcheong becomes the center of education, universities, and research.” Kim also added, “For corporations relocating to local areas, I will drastically reduce taxes and completely eliminate inheritance taxes to encourage more relocations, making Chungcheong the focal point for all corporations.”
Meanwhile, on that day, Lee Sang-min, the Daejeon City Party Chairperson; Lee Jun-bae, the Sejong City Chairperson; Seo Seung-woo, the Chungbuk Province Party Chairperson; and Kim Young-seok, the Chungnam Province Party Chairperson, were appointed as the respective standing committee chairpersons of the Chungcheong election campaign committee.