Kim Woo-young's Gwanggyo Column The Unfinished 'Path of Kim Dong-yeon'

There is still much work to be done for Gyeonggi Province and the Republic of Korea

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, born in 1957, is my age.

I do not have a deep personal acquaintance with him. Although we live in the same area, there was no particularly memorable connection between us.

Of course, being from the same region, we have exchanged handshakes a couple of times in passing.

Two years ago, while taking a walk in Gwanggyo Lake Park, we encountered each other and exchanged a few words. He was accompanied by his wife, First Lady Jung Woo-young, who had a gentle impression. When citizens greeted him and requested photos, he readily responded with a warm and kind smile on his face.

Another time was at a restaurant near Ingyedong Nae Hyeseok Street around the same period. I was dining with Master Yang Taek-dong, a respected calligrapher I admire. Both Master Keunndang and I enjoy alcohol, so with good food before us, we could not drink just water and started with one or two glasses of sorghum liquor, which gradually turned into two or three bottles.

Someone peeked through the door crack and said, "Oh, I apologize. They are not my group," and bowed. It was Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon.

In his hands was a plate of dumplings. After exchanging greetings, I asked why, and he said, "My staff came along, and I wanted to see if they were eating properly, so I brought some dumplings."

That Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon recently lost in the Democratic Party primary for Gyeonggi Province governor.

Governor Kim expressed his gratitude to the volunteers and supporters who helped him run through his Facebook. "I humbly accept your choice. I, Kim Dong-yeon, fell short in many ways. I will take this result as an opportunity for reflection and growth," and he graciously accepted the outcome.

Governor Kim lost his father at age eleven. To support his family, he graduated from commercial high school and got a job at a bank. While attending night university, at age twenty-five, he passed both the civil service examination and the legislative examination simultaneously.

He was appointed as the first Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy under the Moon Jae-in administration, the President's Economic and Financial Secretary and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance under the Lee Myung-bak administration, and the Minister of the Office of Government Coordination under the Park Geun-hye administration. He also served as president of Ajou University.

During his tenure as Gyeonggi Province governor, he earned the nickname "work-doer" and worked day and night to promote major projects and achieve results. He achieved over 100 trillion won in investment attraction in three and a half years.

Among various policies, the most notable one I paid attention to was the "Gyeonggi RE100" initiative. Through the Gyeonggi RE100 policy, renewable energy electricity equivalent to one nuclear reactor is being produced.

When controversy arose recently over the power supply issue for the Yongin semiconductor cluster, Governor Kim came up with the idea of "underground utility tunnel installation for new roads."

Although I did not attend the publication commemoration for "Living Like Myself" held on March 2, I found many parts of the book content resonating with me.

"Politics is not completed by right judgment alone. What ultimately moves people's lives is 'empathy,'" is one of his reflections. It was an honest confession about the political field, which differs from ideals.

Although not widely known, Governor Kim has consistently engaged in charitable activities. Since his time as Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance, he has extended a helping hand to community children's centers and other facilities. It is known that he now supports approximately forty facilities with about 4 million won per month. During the confirmation hearing process for the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance in 2017, it was revealed that he had donated nearly half of his annual salary during his time as university president. During his tenure as Gyeonggi Province governor, he has continued to provide monthly support to welfare facilities in thirty-one cities and counties.

Of course, behind such donations was the support of his wife, First Lady Jung Woo-young.

Recently, a more touching story has been revealed.

It was later discovered that Governor Kim held the funeral of his eldest son, the funeral of his mother-in-law, and the wedding of his second son—all without informing even his closest aides. (Related article: Suwon Ilbo, 15th, "Kim Gap-dong's Perspective—The Resonant Public and Private Life of Kim Dong-yeon")

In 2013, when Governor Kim was serving as Minister of the Office of Government Coordination, his eldest son passed away from leukemia. However, he did not inform even his closest aides and reported to the office on the day of the funeral procession to personally announce the "comprehensive measures against nuclear power plant corruption."

On the night before the 2023 Gyeonggi Province National Assembly audit, he suffered the loss of his mother-in-law. News of his mother-in-law's passing was revealed only after the audit concluded.

On March 22, the final day of voting in the Democratic Party primary, his younger son's wedding ceremony was held, but he quietly held the ceremony with only family members without informing anyone around him. This is what it means to balance public and private life.

After his primary campaign ended in defeat, Governor Kim left these words: "Our path is not over." The "path of Kim Dong-yeon" will also not end. It would be a loss to bury the abilities he demonstrated while performing state affairs and leading provincial administration.

I support Governor Kim Dong-yeon as he walks the unfinished path ahead.