Democratic Party holds North Gyeongsang supreme council meeting in Andong, pledges special support for region

The Democratic Party of Korea held a supreme council meeting in North Gyeongsang Province on Wednesday, gathering Party Leader Kim Min-seok and other senior leadership at the party's provincial chapter office in Andong.

Attendees included Party Leader Kim Min-seok, Floor Leader Han Byung-do, supreme council members Choi Min-hee, Park Seon-won, Seo Mi-hwa, Lee Sung-yoon and Han Min-su, party leader chief of staff Kim Tae-seon, and chief spokesperson Park Seong-jun. From the province, North Gyeongsang chapter Chairman Oh Jung-gi, lawmaker Im Mi-ae and local constituency chairs also took part.

Chapter Chairman Oh called on the central party to pay close attention to and provide special support for key provincial issues. These included the Daegu-North Gyeongsang administrative merger, the integrated new airport project, the establishment of a national medical school, wildfire recovery efforts, construction of a highway crossing Yeongil Bay, the Gyeongju APEC legacy project, and securing central government funding for next year.

"North Gyeongsang Province is a land of patriotic loyalty whose people have never hesitated to give their lives for the country in times of national crisis," Kim said. "Andong in particular was the first city in the country to raise a righteous army during the Japanese colonial period and has produced the greatest number of independence movement heroes." He added that holding the supreme council meeting in Andong — the hometown of President Lee Jae Myung — was deeply meaningful, and pledged that the party would spare no effort in helping resolve the province's pressing issues.

Oh said North Gyeongsang has been battered by a series of disasters — from the Uljin wildfire four years ago to last year's massive blazes that swept through five cities and counties including Andong, Uiseong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok — and that communities are still struggling with drought and heavy rains before those wounds have fully healed. "We hope that the visit by Party Leader Kim Min-seok and the leadership will bring support like a welcome rain," he said.