Top Priority: Stemming Youth Exodus, Creating Jobs

Seo Young-hak, a mayoral candidate for Yeosu representing the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on a local broadcast that preventing youth outflow and improving residential conditions are top priorities for Yeosu's development. Candidate Seo diagnosed the root cause of the region's population issues as young talents leaving Yeosu and the difficulty for those who have developed elsewhere to return.

He further explained that "quality jobs" are the primary need for both those who leave and those who cannot, stressing the resolution of job-related issues as the foremost task.

Seo also pointed to the lack of medical infrastructure, which is directly linked to residential conditions, mentioning that Yeosu lacks a tertiary hospital. To address this, Seo proposed attracting the southern branch of the National Rehabilitation Center, citing the scarcity of hospitals capable of providing emergency treatment for burn accidents given the petrochemical industrial complex, and revealed plans to attract a Coast Guard hospital.