How Yang Hyang-ja Plans to Boost Jobs in Gyeonggi Province: Insights from the 2026 Election

Translation result[Local election contenders – Yang Hyang-ja, People Power Party candidate for Gyeonggi governor]“First, second and third: industry… to create dignified jobs”“Choo Mi-ae lived in Hanam for only two years… I’ve been a Gyeonggi resident for 40 years”“If we lionize workers, strikes will disappear”“No artificial consolidation through unification”Yang Hyang-ja, the People Power Party’s candidate for governor of Gyeonggi Province, told reporters that any so-called “AI excess tax revenues” should be reinvested in building advanced industrial ecosystems to create jobs. Asked about the possibility of unifying her campaign with Jo Eung-chun, the Reform New Party’s gubernatorial candidate, she said the option isn’t off the table but raised questions about it.In an interview at the National Assembly with the Seoul Economic Daily on the 19th, Yang said that if cities across Gyeonggi collect more tax revenue, those funds should back investment-driven policies. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix — the province’s two semiconductor giants — have headquarters in Suwon and Icheon, respectively. A portion of Samsung’s profits is allocated to those cities in the form of corporate local income taxes.“Any additional revenue should go first, second and third to industry,” Yang said. “Only then can we build dignified jobs.”A former Samsung executive, Yang commented on the protracted labor-management negotiations at Samsung: “We need to help employees find fulfillment in their work,” she said. “If we lionize workers as heroes, the impulse to strike will fade.” She added, “I spent 28 years as a worker. If we show how I succeeded and provide a model of coexistence, people will understand. I’m the candidate who can persuade and unify.”On Gyeonggi’s most pressing problem — traffic — Yang said the key is reducing the nearly 50 percent rate of single-occupancy vehicle use. “We must analyze commuting patterns and share that data with companies so they can stagger start and end times,” she said.Yang drew a sharp contrast with her main rival, Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party, saying, “Choo lived in Hanam for two years, but I’ve been a Gyeonggi resident for more than 40 years.” She added, “I moved to Gyeonggi at 18 and grew up here. My candidacy alone can give young people hope.”On the question of consolidating conservative support through a unity pact with the Reform New Party, Yang responded cautiously. “I’m not opposed to unification, but it should not be an artificial consolidation of forces,” she said.