Kim Gil-sung wins re-election as Jung-gu district mayor, defeating 34-year-old rival by more than 4,100 votes

People Power Party candidate Kim Gil-sung won re-election as Jung-gu district mayor in the June 3 local elections, defeating Democratic Party challenger Lee Dong-hyun, 34, by 4,193 votes.

The margin was a dramatic improvement over Kim's first victory four years ago, when he squeaked through by just 489 votes in the eighth elected-term race.

Early in the campaign, some observers expected Lee's youth to generate fresh momentum. The result, however, was a clear win for Kim, who leaned on the advantages of incumbency and administrative experience.

Analysts say the outcome cannot be explained by party loyalty alone. Kim's victory reflected a combination of factors: Jung-gu's local character, the record he built during his first term, organizational strength and voters' preference for stability.

Particularly striking was that Kim carried all 15 of the district's neighborhoods.

The most significant factor was the incumbent premium.

Over the past four years, Kim governed through direct, on-the-ground administration, maintaining close contact with residents. Jung-gu sits at the heart of Seoul, encompassing Myeong-dong, Namdaemun Market, Dongdaemun Fashion Town, Euljiro and Sindang-dong — a district where commercial and residential areas overlap.

With complex issues piling up — redevelopment and reconstruction projects, commercial revitalization, tourist attraction and chronic parking shortages — voters appear to have chosen a proven administrator over a fresh face.

The political landscape of Jung-gu also worked in Kim's favor.

The district has traditionally leaned conservative. With the Seoul mayoral race running concurrently, conservative voters rallied, and that consolidation translated into votes for Kim.

Lee ran on a platform of youth and change, but could not overcome the perception that he lacked administrative experience.

Unlike races for National Assembly or local council seats, a district mayoral election chooses the executive responsible for managing budgets worth hundreds of billions of won and organizations of thousands of civil servants.

Voters in such races tend to weigh stability and seasoned judgment more heavily than novelty.

Jung-gu's relatively high proportion of older residents reinforced that tendency, with Kim's proven track record proving more persuasive than Lee's message of change.

Kim also raised his profile consistently throughout his first term by advancing projects with a direct impact on residents' daily lives.

For many voters, the choice framed itself not as "should we try someone new?" but "should we let the current projects continue?" — a dynamic that ultimately favored the incumbent.

In the end, the Jung-gu district mayor race was a contest between change and stability.

Lee, at 34, campaigned on youth and renewal, but his résumé — limited to service as a Seoul city council member and as a legislative aide to Rep. Park Sung-joon of Jung-gu — appears to have left voters unconvinced.

Behind the margin of more than 4,100 votes, analysts say, lay not just party support but the administrative record and resident trust Kim had built over four years.

First Jung-gu mayor to win consecutive terms through regular local elections

Kim returned to work on Thursday, the day after his re-election victory. He had been suspended from his duties for 40 days following his preliminary candidate registration on April 29. That morning, staff gathered in the plaza and lobby outside the district office to welcome him back, greeting him with cheers and applause.

Having now won both the eighth and ninth elected terms, Kim became the first Jung-gu district mayor to secure consecutive terms through a regular local election, excluding by-elections.

Exchanging greetings with staff, Kim expressed his gratitude. "You have been a steady source of strength, marching in step with me over the past four years to bring change to Jung-gu," he said.

He then held a tea meeting with senior officials, sharing residents' concerns he had heard on the campaign trail and outlining the direction for the ninth term. "Please review the ninth-term campaign pledges carefully and join forces so we can deliver on residents' expectations through district governance," he said.

Jung-gu plans to finalize implementation plans for its key campaign pledges ahead of the ninth term's official launch in July, aiming for district administration that is both stable and swift.

The ninth term will see a major expansion of social infrastructure to strengthen Jung-gu's long-term competitiveness — anchored by a "Jung-gu Balanced Development Fund" — including a large-scale public library and public parking facilities.

Additional initiatives will expand direct support for residents' daily lives: public rental housing for youth, a preferential savings program, senior supplemental health insurance, a dedicated call-taxi service for the elderly, an integrated pet support center and subsidized cervical cancer vaccine inoculations.

"If the eighth term laid the groundwork for Jung-gu's transformation, the ninth term will be the time for residents to feel that change firsthand," Kim said. "I am grateful to the residents who believed in and looked forward to Jung-gu's development, and I will repay that trust with results — a greater future for Jung-gu."