People Power Party candidate Yang Hyang-ja, laying out her vision for Gyeonggi governor, put semiconductors ahead of politics. “In the end, it’s about who can do it,” she said, arguing that industrial competitiveness drives regional and national strength.
In the race, Yang has described herself less as a “politician” than an “industry expert.” She has also framed her matchup with Democratic Party candidate Choo Mi-ae not as a contest between female politicians, but as “a showdown between an advanced-industry expert and a legal professional.”
Yang, a former semiconductor engineer who joined Samsung Electronics as a research assistant and rose to executive director, served as a 21st National Assembly lawmaker. She is currently a People Power Party supreme council member and chair of the party’s Special Committee on Advanced Industries for Semiconductors and Artificial Intelligence.
In an interview with Ajou Economy, Yang said she would raise Gyeonggi’s gross regional domestic product per capita from about 46 million won to 100 million won. She said about 80% of the province’s GRDP is generated in the south and pledged balanced north-south development by fostering industries tailored to the characteristics of each of the province’s 31 cities and counties.
She called Gyeonggi the heart of South Korea’s advanced industries.
“Even amid U.S.-China rivalry, Taiwan prospers because a global semiconductor company called TSMC shapes the world’s industrial order,” she said. “Gyeonggi’s memory semiconductors serve as the heart that can make South Korea a hegemonic power.”
Yang said her mission is to build “a science-and-technology hegemonic state” and “a prosperous, strong nation that leads the world,” adding that such a goal “can ultimately be achieved through semiconductors.” She said the province needs a governor with expertise and a vision for advanced industries, and that the election would prove that point.
She repeatedly stressed that Gyeonggi is the core hub of the country’s semiconductor industry. “Eighty-four-point-six percent of the value added and 76% of sales in our semiconductor industry come from Gyeonggi,” she said, arguing that an advanced-industry expert should lead the province.
Targeting her rival, Yang said Choo, “a legal technician,” knows nothing about advanced industries. “Gyeonggi needs an industry expert, not a legal technician,” she said.
On the relocation of the Suwon military airbase, Yang said the issue requires a national-level approach.
She said she has experience addressing and resolving the Gwangju military airbase issue first, and argued that because military airbases are national infrastructure managed by the Defense Ministry, the central government should take responsibility for relocation decisions.
Yang said a governor’s role is to mediate and resolve conflicts when they arise among cities and counties, adding that she is best suited for that task. She said it would be difficult for Choo, whom she called a “conflict generator.”
Noting that South Korea remains in an armistice, Yang said the first question should be where to place a military airbase to protect security most efficiently. “The situation is complex, but the essence is simple,” she said. “Every problem must be approached by focusing on its essence.”
Yang also emphasized the role of local government as a check on what she called the ruling party and government’s “runaway” power.
She said Choo would move relying only on the president’s power, calling that “very dangerous.” Yang said that while serving as head of the National Human Resources Development Institute for government officials, she gained a deep understanding of the civil service and government systems. She urged voters to choose her, saying she understands industry and administration, and added that she would rely on the “collective intelligence” of Gyeonggi residents.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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