Why is Cha Hyun-il, Yeongdeungpo District Mayor, the Lowest in Assets Among Seoul District Mayors?

Yeongdeungpo District Mayor Cha Hyeon-il Reports 263.02 Million KRW in 2020 Public Official Asset Disclosure Including 250 Million KRW Jeonse for Yeouido Sambu Apartment (135.8 ㎡); Ranks Last Among Seoul's 25 District Mayors... Followed by Eunpyeong Mayor Kim Mi-kyung at 24th and Jung District Mayor Seo Yang-ho at 23rd... Top Seoul District Mayors Are Architect Kim Young-jong of Jongno (1st), Jung Soon-gyun of Gangnam (2nd), and Cho Eun-hee of Seocho (3rd)

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Chaehyunil, the mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, is the youngest mayor among the 25 district mayors of Seoul, born in 1970.

He is the same age as Lee Chang-woo, the mayor of Dongjak District (re-elected), but since his birthday is later, he holds the title of the 'youngest mayor' among the 25.

After graduating from Seoul National University with a degree in Political Science, he has a distinguished career, having served as an aide to famous members of the National Assembly such as Lee Jong-gul, a political aide to Mayor Park Won-soon, and an administrator at the Blue House during the Moon Jae-in administration.

In particular, Mayor Cha is known for his passionate work ethic, issuing 4 to 5 press releases a day, including at least one photo news item daily, to the point that his subordinates find it challenging to keep up.

This time, Mayor Cha has become a topic of interest as the public disclosure of assets revealed that he has the least wealth among the 25 Seoul district mayors.

Mayor Cha reported assets totaling 263.02 million KRW, including a Jeonse deposit of 250 million KRW (semi-Jeonse) for an apartment in Yeouido (135.8 ㎡).

Thus, Mayor Cha disclosed fewer assets than Kim Mi-kyung, mayor of Eunpyeong District, who reported 298 million KRW, and Seo Yang-ho, mayor of Jung District, who reported 408.9 million KRW (including a Jeonse deposit of 450 million KRW for a multi-family house in Hwanghak-dong).

A few months ago, Mayor Cha explained to a reporter, "In the 2019 asset disclosure, my first year as mayor, I ranked 22nd overall with more assets than Seo Yang-ho of Jung District and Kim Mi-kyung of Eunpyeong District, but now I am last among the 25 district mayors."

Other public officials in Seoul's autonomous districts are also curious about Mayor Cha ranking 25th among the 25 Seoul district mayors.

An official from a Seoul district said, "Chaehyunil, mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, is over 50 years old and, as far as I know, worked for several years as an aide to famous members of the National Assembly after graduating from Seoul National University, so I find it hard to understand why his assets are only at that level."

On the other hand, the wealthiest among Seoul district mayors is Kim Young-jong, former mayor of Jongno District for the 5th to 7th local governments, an architect who left outstanding achievements in culture and urban planning, including the construction of an underground road. Mayor Kim reported assets of 8.49951 billion KRW.

Following him is Jung Soon-gyun, mayor of Gangnam District, whose wife owns a building in Seocho District, reporting 5.13151 billion KRW, and Cho Eun-hee, mayor of Seocho District, whose husband is a former judge and a well-known law firm representative lawyer, reporting 3.76807 billion KRW, attracting attention.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.