Former Nowon District Mayor Kim Seong-hwan Secures Re-election Victory in 21st General Election, While Former Gangdong District Mayor Lee Hae-sik and Former Seongbuk District Mayor Kim Young-bae Earn First Gold Badges and Enter National Assembly
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Three Seoul district mayors who left remarkable achievements during the 4th to 6th terms of direct elections were elected in the 21st National Assembly elections.
Former Nowon District Mayor Kim Seong-hwan, former Gangdong District Mayor Lee Hae-sik, and former Seongbuk District Mayor Kim Young-bae were confirmed as winners of the general election.
In particular, former Nowon District Mayor Kim Seong-hwan entered the 20th National Assembly through a by-election, served as chief secretary to the leader of the Democratic Party Lee Hae-chan, and won the 21st general election, achieving re-election.
After graduating from Yonsei University Law School, Representative Kim built solid expertise by serving as aide to National Assembly Speaker Lim Chae-jung, Nowon District council member, Seoul city council member, and policy coordination secretary during President Roh Moo-hyun’s administration.
He was then elected Nowon District Mayor in 2010, pioneering major projects such as suicide prevention and solar power initiatives nationwide, solidifying his status as a “local government head who preempts issues.”
In this general election, Representative Kim ran in Nowon B, competing against Lee Jun-seok of the United Future Party, winning by a margin of 9,183 votes (8.79%).
Lee Hae-sik, elected as a member of the National Assembly, was appointed party spokesperson and played an active role before winning in this general election.
Lee, a former student council president at Sogang University, entered politics as an aide to National Assembly member Lee Boo-young, served as Gangdong District council member and Seoul city council member, and was elected Gangdong District Mayor through a by-election in the 4th term of direct elections, serving three consecutive terms until the 6th term.
Afterward, he served as spokesperson for the Democratic Party, challenged and passed the primary for Gangdong District Eul candidate, and won again in this general election.
During his tenure as Gangdong District Mayor, Lee made significant achievements in major local projects such as the development of the Godeok Commercial Business District and the Gangdong Engineering Complex. He also received applause for urban agriculture projects demonstrating that farming is possible even in cities.
Ehae-sik, Member-elect of the National Assembly for Gangdong-eul, Seoul
He also played a leading role in solar power projects that help save the district and in pet dog-related initiatives.
Former Seongbuk District Mayor Kim Young-bae, a former student council president of Korea University’s College of Political Science and Economics, served as event planning secretary during President Roh Moo-hyun’s administration, supporting the historic inter-Korean summit between President Roh and North Korean National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il.
He was elected Seongbuk District Mayor in the 5th term of direct elections through a primary and served until the 6th term, demonstrating outstanding policy discovery abilities through resident autonomy projects, creating the equation “When Seongbuk District does it, it becomes a nationwide policy.”
In particular, during his tenure, he actively promoted projects to enhance the regional brand value by creating cultural spaces around Seongbuk-dong.
He later returned to the Blue House under President Moon Jae-in, serving as social policy secretary and civil affairs secretary, securing his status as a trusted aide recognized by President Moon.
Representative Kim challenged and won the party primary in Seongbuk Gap to run in the 21st general election and was elected with an overwhelming margin of about 32,000 votes (24%).
In this way, the three candidates who were ahead in policy during their tenure as district mayors succeeded in entering the National Assembly in this general election, drawing attention to their future activities in the legislature.
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