Seoul City Appoints Kim Byung-min, Former People Power Party Supreme Council Member, as Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 30th that it has appointed Kim Byung-min, former Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, as the new Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs, overseeing external cooperation tasks in the second half of the 8th term of the elected administration.

The Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs assists the Mayor by consulting and coordinating Seoul city affairs with the National Assembly, City Council, media, and political parties. This is a vice-ministerial political position appointed by the Mayor. The city stated that the reason for selecting Kim as the new Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs is his expertise in media relations and his strong communication skills with citizens.

Kim Byung-min, the newly appointed Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs of Seoul [Photo by Seoul City]

Born in 1982, Kim graduated from Kyung Hee University’s Department of Economics and Trade in 2008 and completed both his master's and doctoral courses at the same university. He entered politics in 2010 when he was elected as a member of the Seocho District Council in Seoul, and in 2015, he served as a policy advisory committee member at the Yeouido Institute, a policy research institute under the People Power Party.

He served as the Chairperson of the Gwangjin Gap Party Member Council of the People Power Party Seoul Metropolitan Party in 2020 and was the party’s spokesperson in 2021. During the 8th local elections in 2022, he was the spokesperson for candidate Oh Se-hoon’s campaign. In the 20th presidential election, he was the spokesperson for People Power Party candidate Yoon Seok-youl, and last year, he served as a Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party.

Kim, the new Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs, said, "I will act as the number one salesperson promoting Oh Se-hoon’s Seoul administration and strengthen the city’s communication role." He added, "To this end, I will serve as a bridge between political parties, the National Assembly, and Seoul city to nationalize key policies such as accompanying the underprivileged."

He emphasized, "In particular, I will strive to increase points of contact with the younger generation so that Seoul city policies can gain consensus across generations."