Kim Kyoung-soo, former governor of South Gyeongsang Province, announced his presidential bid on Sunday in Sejong — the de facto administrative capital of South Korea — in a symbolic gesture, becoming the fourth contender from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.
Kim stressed the need for political and institutional reforms to prevent the recurrence of presidential overreach, citing disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 last year, which led to his removal by the Constitutional Court in early April.
“To ensure that tragic events like a martial law attempt never happen again, we must reform our political system to enable power-sharing, oversight and checks,” Kim said during his campaign launch event at Sejong City Hall in Sejong, south of Seoul, proposing a constitutional revision to that end.
“During the first 400 days of my administration, through public deliberation and debate, we will make constitutional reform a reality in time for the next local elections (in 2026),” he added.
Kim's choice of Sejong as the location for his campaign launch also held symbolic weight.
Sejong was envisioned by former President Roh Moo-hyun, Kim's political mentor, as a new administrative capital to ease the overconcentration of power, infrastructure and population in Seoul and to promote balanced national development. Since its establishment in 2012, many government ministries and agencies have relocated there — with a few exceptions, including the presidential office, which remains in Seoul.
Building on this legacy, Kim unveiled a broader decentralization initiative aimed at reviving national growth and empowering regions beyond the capital.
“Instead of the Seoul-centered system, we must create five mega cities across the country,” Kim said. “Through administrative reorganization, we will establish autonomous governments in each mega city to lead the nation's development.” He pledged to allocate over 30 trillion won ($21 billion) annually to support their financial autonomy.
Kim also vowed to fully relocate the presidential office from Seoul to Sejong. “We can no longer use Yongsan, a symbol of insurrection, as the presidential office,” he said.
Kim is widely considered a political heir to former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in. He served as Roh’s final presidential secretary and later played a central role in Moon’s administration as a chief speechwriter and strategist during the 2017 presidential campaign.
Kim was elected governor of South Gyeongsang Province in 2018, but his political ascent was interrupted by legal troubles.
In 2021, Kim was sentenced to two years in prison for colluding with a power blogger known as “Druking” to manipulate online opinion in favor of Moon’s 2017 campaign — a conviction that led to the loss of his governorship and Democratic Party membership.
Kim was granted a presidential pardon in December 2022 under the Yoon administration, alongside former President Lee Myung-bak. However, his eligibility to run for office was not restored until August 2024, following that year’s general elections in April. He rejoined the Democratic Party in February this year.
However, Kim currently trails far behind Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the front-runner of the Democratic Party of Korea.
According to a Media Research poll conducted Tuesday and Wednesday on 1,000 respondents, Lee led with 87.9 percent support among Democratic Party supporters, followed by Kim Dong-yeon, governor of Gyeonggi Province, with 2.5 percent and Kim Kyoung-soo with 2.4 percent.
Lee Jae-myung announced his candidacy on Thursday, followed by Kim Dong-yeon and Kim Doo-kwan, a former Democratic Party lawmaker. The latter two, along with Kim Kyoung-soo, are widely regarded as key figures in the party’s anti-Lee faction.
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