"Yongsan Chooses Council Members, Seocho Chooses Civil Servants: How Residents Pick Their District Mayors"

"Council Member DNA" Prevails in Yongsan

Seocho Prefers "Administrative Elites"

9th Civil Election Results Mirror the Past

Residents of Yongsan District in Seoul wanted someone who truly understands local affairs, while those in Seocho District chose a veteran administrator. These two districts, facing each other across the Han River, draw attention every four years for their distinctly different choices.

Although both districts elected candidates from conservative parties, the backgrounds of the winners are quite different. In the 9th local election, Kim Kyungdae, a former member of the Yongsan District Council who served in the 4th, 5th, and 7th terms, was elected as the mayor of Yongsan District. In Seocho District, Jeon Seongsu, the incumbent mayor and a former high-ranking civil servant who held key positions in the Seoul Metropolitan Government, secured reelection. This result has persisted for over 30 years since the start of locally-elected autonomous governments, almost like an established rule.

Kim Kyungdae, elected as the mayor of Yongsan District in the 9th local election. Kim Kyungdae Facebook.

According to the autonomous districts as of June 9, over the past 30 years since the launch of the first locally-elected governments in 1995, residents of these two districts have chosen their mayors according to different unwritten rules.

In Yongsan District, most of the mayors have been former district council members. With the exception of Seol Songwoong, the first mayor in the local government era, every Yongsan mayor has previously served as a district council member. Seol, who served from 1995 to 1998, was a politician without council experience—an exception to the rule. He is also known as the father of history lecturer Seol Minseok. After completing his term as mayor, Seol was elected to the 16th National Assembly as a member of the Democratic Party. Aside from him, all other mayors have first worn the badge of a Yongsan district council member before becoming mayor.

Seong Changhyeon, the second mayor (1998–2000), had served as a member of the 2nd and 3rd Yongsan District Councils before being elected mayor. He later served three consecutive terms as mayor, from the 5th to 7th local governments, becoming the longest-serving mayor in Yongsan’s history.

Park Janggyu, who completed the second mayoral term (2000–2002) through a by-election, was also a former district council member and went on to complete three consecutive terms as mayor after being elected in both the 3rd and 4th local elections. The current mayor, Park Heeyoung, elected in the 8th local government, is also a former district council member.

Kim Kyungdae, who won in the recent June 3rd local election, continues this legacy. He built his experience in both regional politics and administration by serving as a senior secretary to a National Assembly member and as a member of the Yongsan District Council in the 4th, 5th, and 7th terms. His election comes after his second attempt at the mayoral seat.

Analysts suggest that this trend of district council members becoming mayor reflects Yongsan’s unique local sentiment. An official from Yongsan District said, "It seems that Yongsan residents tend to trust local politicians who have worked closely with the community more than civil servants or administrative officials."

Jeon Seongsu, who succeeded in re-election as Mayor of Seocho District. Provided by the Election Office.

The history of Seocho District is different. Jo Namho, who served as mayor for the first three local governments, began as an appointed mayor in 1993. He led the district as an elected mayor from 1995 to 2006, spearheading initiatives such as the preservation of Umyeonsan green space and the creation of the French enclave in Banpo Seorae Village. Although he started his career as a producer at KBS, he went on to serve as Seoul City spokesperson and bureau director, and was appointed mayor in Mapo, Dongjak, Seongdong, and Seocho districts before becoming an elected mayor.

Seocho District has never elected a mayor from a Democratic Party-affiliated party, and during this time, administrative officials from Seoul City have continued to take up the mayoral office. Both Park Seongjung, the mayor in the 4th local government, and Jin Ikcheol, mayor in the 5th, passed the higher civil service exam and worked as high-ranking civil servants in Seoul City and as administrative officers in the Blue House.

Cho Eunhee, who led the 6th and 7th local governments (2014–2021), started her career as a newspaper journalist but later gained administrative experience as a secretary in the presidential office and as Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs in Seoul City, before running for and being elected mayor. In the 2018 local elections, which saw a Democratic Party landslide, she was the only conservative candidate to win among mayors of Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts.

Jeon Seongsu, who was reelected after the 8th local government, is a veteran administrator who passed the higher civil service exam and served as head of PR, general affairs, and administration for Seoul City, as well as senior administrative officer at the Blue House, spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs in Incheon City.

While both Yongsan and Seocho are strongholds for conservative parties, each has forged its own definition of what makes a mayor.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.