Shim Hwaseop, Special Advisor to the Democratic Party Leader, Officially Announces Candidacy for Uijeongbu Mayor

Three Core Strengths: Central Government Network, AI Expertise, and Basic Society Policy Capabilities
"I Will Lead Uijeongbu’s Great Leap Forward with Proven and Capable Innovation"

Shim Hwaseop, Special Advisor to the Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, held a press conference on the 14th and officially announced his candidacy for mayor of Uijeongbu in the 9th nationwide local elections scheduled for June.

Shim Hwa-seop, Special Advisor to the Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is holding a press conference on the 14th announcing his candidacy for mayor of Uijeongbu. Photo by Shim Hwa-seop, Special Advisor to the Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea

In his declaration of candidacy, Special Advisor Shim diagnosed the current situation in Uijeongbu as a crisis, citing the city’s financial independence rate of 21% and financial self-reliance rate of 47%, which are among the lowest in Gyeonggi Province and are hindering municipal administration. He stated, "I will transform Uijeongbu with proven and capable innovation."

He emphasized, "We need leadership that does not avoid difficult issues and achieves results through decisive action," adding, "We must create hope for the future with a vision and strategy that respond to the changes of the times."

Special Advisor Shim stressed that leading change requires not just a new person, but proven and capable innovation, highlighting his strong network with the central government and the ruling party as his core competitive advantage.

Recently, Shim met with Jeong Cheongrae, Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and requested the enactment of a special law to allow the government to take the lead in developing the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) land in Uijeongbu. He plans to actively utilize the network he has built through national political and party activities since the Nosamo days to address major issues facing Uijeongbu. In addition, as a graduate in electronic engineering, he brings expertise to lead the AI era, and as the Executive Director of the Uijeongbu branch of the Basic Society Foundation, he cited his policy capabilities to realize a basic society in line with the Lee Jaemyung administration.

Special Advisor Shim defined his leadership as that of a "citizen mayor," declaring three core principles: a mayor who serves the citizens, a mayor for the citizens, and a mayor who takes responsibility. He promised, "I will implement an administration that produces results by combining the principles and common sense of Roh Moo-hyun’s philosophy with the practical competence of the Lee Jaemyung administration."

Finally, Special Advisor Shim shared his thoughts, saying, "Uijeongbu is my past, present, and future, the place that embraced me when I grew up poor eating gukgukijuk (pig feed porridge) as a child." He appealed for support, pledging, "I will prove myself with results, not just words."

Special Advisor Shim holds both a master’s and doctoral degree in electronic engineering from Sogang University and is currently a professor at Shinhan University in Uijeongbu, where he serves as Dean of the College of Engineering, contributing to nurturing local talent and science and technology education. He began his career in civic participatory politics as a core member of Nosamo (People Who Love Roh Moo-hyun) during the 2002 presidential election, and currently serves as Special Advisor to Jeong Cheongrae, Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and as Senior Vice Chair of the Uijeongbu (Eul) Regional Committee.