Former lawmaker Son Hye-won wins Mokpo city council seat as independent

Son Hye-won, a former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker, won a seat on the Mokpo City Council in South Jeolla Province as an independent in Wednesday's local elections.

Son ran in the Ra district of the Mokpo City Council race — covering the Bokwon, Dongmyeong, Manho and Yudal neighborhoods — in the 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections held Wednesday. The district elects three council members.

Five candidates competed in the Ra district, which encompasses Mokpo's old downtown core: Son, three Democratic Party candidates and one from the Rebuilding Korea Party.

Son held second place from the early stages of vote counting and ultimately secured her seat with 24.37 percent of the vote, or 2,057 ballots.

Son said she entered the race out of a long-held conviction that "Mokpo can only thrive if its old downtown core thrives."

Before entering politics, Son built her reputation as a brand designer, contributing to projects including the soju brands Cheoeum-cheoreom and Chamisul and the coffee brand Angelinus.

She entered politics in 2015 as the head of public relations for the New Politics Alliance for Democracy and was credited with helping rebrand the party under its current name, the Democratic Party of Korea. She was subsequently given a party nomination for the Mapo-eul constituency in Seoul in the 20th general election, which she won.

In 2019, Son was embroiled in allegations of real estate speculation in Mokpo, facing charges of using confidential information to purchase properties in violation of the Anti-Corruption Act — charges of which she was acquitted. However, she was found guilty on a separate charge of purchasing real estate under borrowed names in violation of the Real Estate Real-Name Act and was sentenced to a fine.

"Please watch how I work," Son said after her victory. "I will figure out what to tackle first and how to get started. I will make tourists overflow through Mokpo's old downtown."

오세훈 서울시장 극적 당선…‘안정 속 견제’ 무섭도록 절묘한 민심 [6·3 지선]

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