Lee Cheol-woo wins third term as North Gyeongsang governor after beating blood cancer

People Power Party candidate Lee Cheol-woo won a third term as governor of North Gyeongsang Province in Wednesday's local elections, overcoming a blood cancer diagnosis last year that had fueled speculation about his health.

Lee secured 67.24 percent of the vote in the gubernatorial race, the National Election Commission confirmed Thursday, while Democratic Party of Korea candidate Oh Jung-gi received 32.75 percent.

The result allowed Lee to hold North Gyeongsang for the conservative camp even as the People Power Party struggled nationally in the local elections. In his victory statement, Lee said residents had "once again entrusted the future of North Gyeongsang" to him, calling the win "a solemn mandate from the people of the province to protect North Gyeongsang and make it the center of a new era of regional governance in South Korea."

During the campaign, Lee put forward the "North Gyeongsang Great Transformation 10+1 Project" as his signature campaign pledge, centering on the development of future industries — AI, semiconductors, energy and biotech — alongside balanced regional development, a response to the low birth rate, and leading the country's decentralization drive.

Lee is also expected to accelerate the long-sought administrative merger of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province alongside newly elected Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho. "I will open North Gyeongsang's skies through the integrated new airport and build a great path to compete with the Greater Seoul area and advance into the world," Lee said.

He pledged to actively pursue central government funding and regulatory reform through the National Assembly. "North Gyeongsang must plan first, persuade the center, and compete with the world," he said. "I will mobilize all the experience and networks of a three-term governor to see North Gyeongsang's future projects through to completion."

Born in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, in 1955, Lee worked as a teacher and at the National Intelligence Service before entering the National Assembly in the 18th general election. He went on to serve three terms as a lawmaker before winning the North Gyeongsang governorship in 2018, and has now won three consecutive terms — the maximum allowed for a local government chief.