[iNews24 reporter Kim Yang-geun] Sixty-five current and former faculty members of Wonkwang University announced their support for Cho Yong-sik, the Democratic Party’s mayoral pre-candidate for Iksan.
On March 10, the group — including Provost Hwang Jin-su — held a press conference in the Iksan City Hall press room and said, “We have chosen Cho Yong-sik, a candidate with administrative competence and unimpeachable integrity, as the solution to the crisis facing Iksan.”
![Current and former Wonkwang University professors announce support for Cho Yong-sik, Iksan mayoral candidate. [Photo: Iksan Open Newspaper ]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2026/03/CP-2023-0087/image-448d80bb-e275-4e80-9aa7-061e2f0bf9c7.jpeg)
In their statement, the professors said, “As scholars who have studied the region’s future and trained local talent, we believe Cho Yong-sik is the only person equipped to confront and overcome Iksan’s present existential crisis,” and they declared strong backing for his candidacy.
They praised Cho’s insight in shifting Iksan’s development paradigm from outward expansion to strengthening internal foundations.
“Previous outward-focused policies failed to prevent the steep decline of the old downtown and the exodus of residents,” they noted. “Cho’s proposal to reorganize practical living hubs around towns, townships, and neighborhoods is the most innovative prescription to restore Iksan’s vitality from the ground up.”
The academics emphasized that Cho’s strategy for future industries offers the only viable vision to protect the livelihoods of their students and younger generations.
They described Cho’s signature platform — the “3 specialties (history & culture, future industries, transportation & logistics) and 4 pillars (livelihood & economy, jobs & youth, welfare & safety, administrative innovation)” — as “a precise and bold blueprint capable of reshaping Iksan’s landscape.”
They expressed full support for Cho’s three central pledges.
They explained that Iksan will complete its transformation from a “city people leave” into a “city people stay to pursue their dreams” only if the following are realized: construction of a 1 million pyeong advanced industrial complex for AI, robotics, and semiconductors (about 817 acres / 1.28 sq mi); creation of 30,000 quality jobs; and practical settlement support that links youth housing with startups.
They also cited Cho’s “proven integrity” as the decisive reason for their endorsement.
“Over a 34-year public service career, Cho has been an honest public administrator with no moral scandals involving private gain or real estate speculation,” they said. “His unimpeachable ethics and extensive field experience are the city’s most valuable assets for restoring trust in Iksan’s government.”
The professors pointed to concrete policies they believe will revive Iksan: targeted measures that support everyday life, such as free transportation for seniors and school-zone safety improvements, as well as a stay-focused cultural strategy that would transform the Hwangdeung abandoned quarry into a media-art hub to boost tourism and local engagement.
Provost Hwang Jin-su urged citizens to unite behind Cho for what he called a “great transformation” of Iksan, saying, “With a candidate who combines competence and integrity, Iksan can again stand tall as the central city of Honam (the southwestern region of Korea).”
