Im Moon-young of the Democratic Party of Korea won the National Assembly by-election in Gwangju's Gwangsan-eul district.
Im defeated six rivals to become the first AI and future industries specialist to enter Gwangju's political arena.
Throughout the campaign, he said promoting AI, semiconductors, data centers and autonomous driving industries would be his top priorities.
Analysts said his strategic nomination reflected a judgment that he was the right person to connect the Lee Jae-myung government's national policy direction with Gwangju's future.
A first-generation internet pioneer who worked at Korea PC Communication and Nowcom, Im served as a policy adviser to Seongnam, as Gyeonggi Province's future growth policy director and as standing vice chairman of the National AI Strategy Committee, where he helped shape the country's AI strategy.
Im has proposed building an industrial ecosystem in Gwangsan that links AI data centers, semiconductor fabrication plants and an autonomous driving demonstration city.
"I will lead the industrial transformation on the foundation of AI and build a city that businesses want to come to," he said. "I will work hard so that Gwangju — a sacred ground of democracy — can grow new wings through future industries."
sij@heraldcorp.com
