Seo Younghak Completes Registration as Preliminary Candidate for Yeosu Mayor

"I Will Bring About a Generational Shift to Break with Old Politics"

Seo Younghak, former administrator at the Presidential Office, registered as a preliminary candidate for mayor of Yeosu at the Yeosu City Election Commission on the afternoon of the 24th and officially declared his candidacy at an event attended by Democratic Party members.

Preliminary candidate Seo said, "Right now, Yeosu is going through a difficult time because the petrochemical era is coming to an end, while a new era has yet to begin," adding, "Economic vitality has disappeared and people are leaving Yeosu," as he assessed the current situation.

Seo Younghak, a preliminary candidate for Yeosu mayor, has completed registration. Provided by Seo Younghak's campaign.

He went on to say, "The citizens of Yeosu are desperately looking for a reliable problem-solver who will break with old politics and get Yeosu's stalled economy moving again," and declared his intention to run by saying, "I will play the role of life-giving rain falling on parched land after this year's long winter drought."

Preliminary candidate Seo presented two key campaign pledges. First, he pledged to fully mobilize the capabilities and networks he honed while working for the central government and the Presidential Office to achieve a definite revival of the stagnating city of Yeosu. He said, "Just as Bilbao in Spain and Malmo in Sweden overcame decline and became world-class cities, I will turn Yeosu into a city sought after not only in Korea but around the world."

Second, he pledged to create a 100 billion won Yeosu Fund to foster youth start-ups and high-tech industries, fundamentally transform the city's industrial structure, and create 10,000 quality jobs. He stressed that this is about "injecting vitality into the sluggish real economy and creating future sources of income for Yeosu."

Preliminary candidate Seo appealed for support with the message "The nation is Lee Jaemyung, and Yeosu is Seo Younghak," noting that President Lee Jaemyung, who is well-versed in administration, is reinvigorating every corner of the country, and emphasizing that he will draw on his experience in the central government and at the nation's top control tower for state affairs.

Preliminary candidate Seo, a native of Yeosu, completed elementary, middle, and high school in his hometown. After entering public service, he served for 19 years in both local and central government, starting as head of Myodo-dong, and later serving as a director at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and as an administrator at the Presidential Office. During his time at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, he led amendments to the Criminal Act, including the abolition of the requirement for a victim’s complaint in sexual violence crimes, and succeeded in bringing the Korea Coast Guard Academy to Yeosu.

Addressing his supporters that day, preliminary candidate Seo said, "Will we remain in the past, or will we move toward the future? This election must be about 'challenge,' not complacency, about 'transformation,' not mere management, and about the 'future,' not the past," and added, "I, Seo Younghak, will be the answer."