'I became mayor to do this': South Korea's youngest city mayor goes viral with wig, lip-sync video

Lee Dong-seok, who became the youngest sitting mayor in South Korea at 40 after winning the June 3 local elections in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, has gone viral for a promotional video built around low-budget charm.

Lee recently posted a video titled "I Love Chungju Direct Cam" on his YouTube channel.

In the roughly 18-second clip, he appears wearing a long-haired wig and a scarf, repeatedly flashing heart signs at the camera.

He then lip-syncs to "Ni-ga Joha," a song by 1990s ballad singer Choi Seong-gon — a character from the film "Wild Things" — leaning into his signature low-fi style.

Viewers flooded the comments with reactions including: "It's widely accepted that he became Chungju's mayor just to do this," "How to erase your predecessor's legacy? Just be crazier than them," "You can't even begin to grasp how serious he is about Chungju," "A strange mayor who erases not Jo Gil-hyeong's legacy but that of former 'Chungju Man' Kim Seon-tae," and "The bar for being mayor has gotten way too high."

Lee has built a track record of unconventional promotional content. He has performed point choreography from K-pop group Ateez's song "BAD" and appeared lying on the floor to promote sweet potatoes — a far cry from the stiff, formal style typical of public officials.

Meanwhile, Lee won the Chungju mayoral race in the June 3 local elections by 124 votes over Democratic Party of Korea candidate Maeng Jeong-seop. Maeng filed an election invalidity petition with the National Election Commission, triggering a recount, but the recount confirmed Lee's victory with a margin of 122 votes.