Seoul city hall veterans dominate June 3 local elections

Administrators who rose through the ranks of the Seoul Metropolitan Government made a strong showing in Saturday's local elections.

People Power Party incumbents Seo Gang-seok of Songpa-gu, Jeon Seong-su of Seocho-gu and Kim Gyeong-ho of Gwangjin-gu all won re-election, while Democratic Party incumbent Ryu Gyeong-gi secured a third consecutive term in Jungnang-gu. Yoo Bo-hwa, newly elected district mayor of Seongdong-gu, made a successful first entry onto the political stage.

All five served in key Seoul city departments before entering electoral politics. The results have prompted observers to describe the outcome as a coming-of-age moment for career bureaucrats turned district mayors.

Re-election in Gangnam's three districts — Seo Gang-seok and Jeon Seong-su prove their administrative credentials

Seo Gang-seok overcame concerns about his party nomination to win re-election in Songpa-gu.

A graduate of the University of Seoul who passed the civil service administration exam, Seo built his reputation at the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Agricultural and Marine Products Corporation. He won the Songpa-gu district mayorship in the eighth round of popular elections and has since focused on resolving local issues and strengthening the district's urban competitiveness.

His push for signature projects — including the development of a luxury shopping street along Songpa-daero and an expansion of cultural infrastructure — earned him broad resident support. He sealed his re-election with a margin of more than 20,000 votes.

Jeon Seong-su wins Seocho-gu by more than 80,000 votes, seen as boost for Mayor Oh Se-hoon

Jeon Seong-su graduated from Seoul National University's College of Law, passed the civil service administration exam and held a string of senior posts at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, including head of public relations, general affairs and administration. He later served as a senior administrative official at Cheong Wa Dae, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior and Safety and vice mayor of Incheon for administrative affairs.

During his first term, Jeon pursued forward-looking growth strategies for Seocho-gu, including the development of an AI cluster and projects along the Han River.

His reputation for open, accessible leadership also drew high marks. He routed his opponent by more than 80,000 votes, a margin observers say contributed to Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's own election victory.

Kim Gyeong-ho drives change in Gwangjin-gu, wins second term

Kim Gyeong-ho is a career bureaucrat who graduated from Chonnam National University, passed the civil service administration exam and served as head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's urban transportation bureau, welfare bureau and city council secretariat.

After leading the Seoul Agricultural and Marine Products Corporation as its president, he entered politics through a recruitment by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. During his first term he worked to strengthen Gwangjin-gu's urban competitiveness and lay the groundwork for Han River-side development.

Credited with charting a clear vision for the district's future and delivering tangible results, Kim won re-election Saturday.

Ryu Gyeong-gi wins commanding third term, cements status as Jungnang-gu's defining political figure

Ryu Gyeong-gi studied political science at Seoul National University, passed the civil service administration exam and held a series of senior Seoul city posts — spokesperson, head of administrative affairs, head of planning and coordination, and first vice mayor for administration — establishing himself as one of the city's leading policy strategists.

After first running for Jungnang-gu district mayor during the tenure of the late Mayor Park Won-soon, Ryu won in the seventh and eighth rounds of popular elections and has now added a third consecutive victory. He is the first progressive politician to serve three terms as district mayor of Jungnang-gu.

Since taking office, Ryu has pursued a mix of community-focused policies and development projects — among them a program encouraging preschool children to read 1,000 books, a neighborhood alley-cleaning initiative and a push to relocate the headquarters of SH Corporation to the district — earning strong resident support.

He outpaced his opponent by more than 55,000 votes Saturday, a commanding margin.

Yoo Bo-hwa writes a Grade 9 success story, wins Seongdong-gu district mayorship

Among the most closely watched figures in Saturday's elections was Yoo Bo-hwa, district mayor-elect of Seongdong-gu.

Originally from Goheung in South Jeolla Province, Yoo gave up on attending university due to difficult family circumstances and began her public service career as a Grade 9 civil servant at the Military Manpower Administration. She later transferred to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, earned a degree in taxation from the University of Seoul through evening classes and advanced through the city's civil service ranks via a Grade 7 special recruitment.

She went on to serve as head of personnel planning, head of autonomous administration and policy planning officer before becoming deputy district mayor of Seongdong-gu. There she worked alongside former district mayor Jeong Won-o — a fellow University of Seoul alumnus — for four years.

When Jeong stepped down to run for Seoul mayor, Yoo secured the Democratic Party nomination and won the district mayorship in the general election.

Support for Jeong's mayoral bid softened in the final stretch of the campaign, making the race tighter than expected. Yoo ultimately prevailed by roughly 4,800 votes, ushering in the first popularly elected district mayor era for Seongdong-gu.

Her trajectory — from Grade 9 civil servant to district mayor, passing through senior posts at the Seoul Metropolitan Government — is exceptionally rare and has been hailed as a civil service success story.

A message to Seoul's civil service community

Saturday's local elections again showed that administrative expertise and hands-on experience built within the Seoul Metropolitan Government can translate into electoral success.

While party affiliation and the broader political landscape mattered, analysts say voters ultimately rewarded candidates who demonstrated the administrative ability and track record to tackle local issues.

That dynamic could encourage more senior Seoul city officials — bureau chiefs, heads of affiliated agencies and other high-ranking civil servants — to consider running in future local or general elections, observers note.

Whether the success of these Seoul city veterans will serve as a new role model for the next generation of civil servants remains to be seen.