"Suwon Needs to Expand into Regional Metropolitan City Status Linked with Hwaseong and Osan" "I Won't Blindly Follow Party Position"

The 17th National Assembly is currently in its "summer recess." However, a considerable number of members and their aides are working through the heat, forgetting to sweat, preparing for the September regular session and the National Audit Office inspection. Yeouido Tongsin, the National Assembly correspondent of Suwon Ilbo, is meeting sequentially with four National Assembly members from Suwon—Kim Jin-pyo, Shim Jae-deok, Nam Gyeong-pil, and Lee Gi-woo—for candid conversations. Following Rep. Lee Gi-woo, Rep. Shim Jae-deok has agreed to our second interview.-Editor's Note-

▲ Rep. Shim Jae-deok ⓒ Kim Jin-seok

Rep. Shim Jae-deok of the Open Our Party defeated Park Jong-hee, the incumbent member and Grand National Party candidate, in the April 15 general election, transforming himself from Suwon City Mayor to National Assembly member. With a career starting as the first popularly elected city mayor and serving as the head of Suwon's administration twice, the name of this regional politician always carries that appellation.

With a solid regional base and extensive administrative experience as a cultural center director and city mayor, expectations from local residents for his legislative activities are naturally high. As the National Assembly enters its summer recess, we met Rep. Shim Jae-deok on August 3 at Room 216 of the Assembly Members Building, busy with preparations for the National Audit Office inspection and district management.

Rep. Shim Jae-deok, arriving about ten minutes late, said he was coming from meeting with the EU Ambassador to Korea. As city mayor, Rep. Shim is known to have made public his promise not to promote anyone lacking English skills, and from his time as mayor, he has been noted for his efforts to acquire international sensibility.

Two months after changing from "Suwon City Mayor" to "National Assembly Member," Rep. Shim expressed his feelings about becoming a congressman by saying "I haven't adapted yet." Saying that "compared to when I was mayor, I have lost some of the binding force and become somewhat more freewheeling," he revealed his aspirations, stating "with freedom comes the responsibility to prove myself through work." During this interview, Rep. Shim requested off-the-record comments four times, revealing his candid thoughts.

▲ Rep. Shim Jae-deok ⓒ Kim Jin-seok

"The Prosecution's Monopoly on Indictment Is Wrong"

Rep. Shim continued the conversation by revealing his thoughts on the rejection of the arrest warrant consent for Rep. Park Chang-dal in June, which drew public criticism. "I think it was the right decision that no party position was established in the process of handling the arrest warrant consent," Rep. Shim said, emphasizing that individual members' conscientious voting is more important than party position.

Rep. Shim said, "I expect that the absence of a party position will play a positive role in the future of our politics," adding, "Members who voted against it will also have had the opportunity to reflect and take to heart the people's criticism."

Rep. Shim's candid remarks continued. Rep. Shim said, "Regardless of right or wrong, if we only look at the incident at the time, there are aspects that deviate from the principle of presumption of innocence," and turned the blade of criticism toward the prosecution's stance. Rep. Shim has experience receiving a not guilty verdict from the Supreme Court last year on charges of bribery. Based on this experience, he indirectly expressed his dissatisfaction with the prosecution.

Rep. Shim also took a negative stance toward the prosecution's monopoly on indictment authority. Opening with the words "the police also need to have prosecutorial power," Rep. Shim stated his view that "we must be able to check the prosecution's monopolistic power."

"The 1970s Were a Shell Game of Politics; We Must Overcome the Ills of Military Rule"

Rep. Shim, who served as a popularly elected Suwon City Mayor, expressed throughout the interview his usual convictions regarding local autonomy development, including the exclusion of party nominations for local government heads and the abolition of term limits. Stating "it is my principle that heads of local autonomous bodies should not have party affiliation," Rep. Shim said, "it is not uncommon that central politics has used nominations as a pretext to obstruct the development of local autonomy," revealing his position to actively pursue the exclusion of party nominations for local government heads.

Rep. Shim did not bend his convictions in addressing the current political situation, employing direct speech. First, in relation to the controversy over identity, he raised his voice saying "the ills of military rule are greater," signaling sharp attacks. Stating "the 1970s were literally a shell game of marketplace politics," Rep. Shim said, "politics that started with a pistol has prevented the correct development of democracy," clearly positioning himself critically toward the military regimes that continued from Park Chung-hee through Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo.

▲ Rep. Shim Jae-deok ⓒ Kim Jin-seok

Rep. Shim also said, "Now is the time to push for stronger reform rather than economics," emphasizing the need for stronger reform. Regarding the relocation of the capital, he maintained his position that it is necessary to resolve overcrowding in the Seoul metropolitan area. Premising his argument with "even if I were in the opposition, I would have argued for the relocation of the capital," Rep. Shim raised issues with the opposition's stance, saying, "The provinces are too depressed now. Both local autonomy and the economy have deteriorated. (The relocation of the capital) must not be approached from a partisan perspective."

Regarding regional development, Rep. Shim took the position that the "expansion of Suwon City into a regional metropolitan city" should be actively reviewed. Rep. Shim said, "Osan, Hwaseong, and Suwon originally share the same culture," and argued that "while developing Hwaseong, which has lagged in development, we must actively review the expansion of Suwon City into a regional metropolitan status."

Rep. Shim continued his strong criticism of the Uiui-dong development method currently being pursued by Suwon City. "The plan to construct apartments housing 20,000 households in the Uiui-dong area shows no consideration whatsoever for future environmental and traffic problems," Rep. Shim said, adding "if problems arise later, who will be held responsible?" expressing overt dissatisfaction with Suwon City's current development approach.

"Chosun Ilbo and Donga Ilbo Should Stop Sensationalizing"

Regarding the recent reporting attitudes of some media outlets including Chosun Ilbo and Donga Ilbo, Rep. Shim first pointed out the problems with media, saying "there are aspects of sensationalizing trivial matters." Thereafter, premising his remarks with "both media and government must think of the national interest," Rep. Shim said, "the current president is in a corner. Both media and government should not push their own logic but examine what better serves the national interest."

* The full interview is available in two separate articles.