Choo Mi-ae makes history as first female regional government head in 30 years

Choo Mi-ae, elected to lead Gyeonggi Province — the country's largest local government — has become the first woman in constitutional history to win a regional government head post, vaulting her into the ranks of potential presidential contenders.

"I want to repay the love the residents have given me with good governance and outstanding administration," Choo said Thursday. Her victory means the Democratic Party has produced three consecutive Gyeonggi governors — Lee Jae Myung, Kim Dong-yeon and now Choo.

Since the first nationwide simultaneous local elections in 1995, women have consistently sought regional government head posts, only to fall short each time. The closest calls came from People Power Party candidate Kim Eun-hye, who ran for Gyeonggi governor in 2022, and Democratic Party candidate Han Myeong-sook, who ran for Seoul mayor in 2010.

In 2022, Kim traded the lead with Democratic Party candidate Kim Dong-yeon through the morning after the June 1 local elections before losing by just 0.15 percentage points, narrowly missing the historic milestone. In the 5th local elections in 2010, Han lost to Oh Se-hoon of the Hannara Party — the People Power Party's predecessor — by 0.2 percentage points.

In this year's local elections, women made up five of 51 regional government head candidates — 9.8 percent, roughly half the 18.2 percent share recorded in 2022. Choo was the only one to win. In the 8th local elections in 2022, all 10 women who ran for regional government head posts were defeated.

A native of Daegu and former judge, Choo entered politics in 1995 at the urging of then-New Politics People's Congress president Kim Dae-jung. During the 1997 presidential election, she led a campaign unit dubbed the "Joan of Arc squad" in the conservative stronghold of Daegu, contributing to Kim's victory and earning the nickname "Choo d'Arc."

She won a National Assembly seat in the 15th general election in 1996, running in Seoul's Gwangjin-eul constituency, and went on to represent the same district in the 16th, 18th, 19th and 20th Assemblies. She was elected Democratic Party leader at the party's 2020 national convention and served as minister of justice under the Moon Jae-in administration. Her clashes with then-Prosecutor General Yoon Suk Yeol during that period became known as the "Choo-Yoon conflict."

In the 22nd general election, she was strategically nominated in Hanam-gap, Gyeonggi Province, and won. Though widely expected to be elected speaker of the 22nd National Assembly's first half, she lost the internal primary to Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik. She then chaired the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, where she led the passage of prosecution reform legislation.

Having led polls throughout the local election campaign, Choo's victory has drawn attention to what comes next after her governorship. Her term as Gyeonggi governor is set to end around the time of the 2030 presidential election, and analysts say that alignment could open the door to a presidential bid.

In Incheon, Democratic Party candidate Park Chan-dae defeated incumbent Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of the People Power Party to claim the city's top post. "The citizens have made a decisive choice for a 'great Incheon,'" Park said. "I will take it as the people's mandate to move beyond stagnation and toward growth." The win avenges the party's defeat in Incheon four years ago and returns the mayoral seat to the Democrats.