[Comprehensive] "I received the certificate of election" Heo Young avenges defeat of Kim Jin-tae in '3rd term challenge'

Heo Young Elected in Chuncheon, the 'Gangwon Battleground'... Kim Jin-tae Fails to Secure Third Term

On April 16, after it became certain that Heo Young, the Democratic Party candidate running in the Chuncheon-Cheorwon-Hwacheon-Yanggu Gap electoral district in the April 15 general election, had won, he received a bouquet and applause from supporters along with his wife, Jeong Hyun-ja. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] In the fiercely contested 21st general election in the Gangwon region's Chuncheon-Cheorwon-Hwacheon-Yanggu Gap district, candidate Heo Young of the Democratic Party of Korea defeated Kim Jin-tae of the United Future Party and was elected. On the 16th, Heo expressed his gratitude upon receiving the certificate of election, saying, "I have received the certificate of election. Thank you. I will listen more humbly and work harder." Incumbent lawmaker Kim Jin-tae lost to Heo and failed to secure a third term.

Heo posted on his Facebook around 7:50 a.m. that day, stating, "As a responsible member of the ruling party, I will prioritize taking care of people's livelihoods above all else. I will restore the status of Chuncheon, the capital city."

He continued, "I will create a Chuncheon that citizens can take pride in, a place where they can proudly say, 'I live in Chuncheon.' I will definitely achieve this together with you. I promise not to lose my initial resolve and to serve the citizens with all my heart."

According to the Central Election Commission on the morning of the same day, with 99.9% of the votes counted, candidate Heo secured 51.3% of the votes, defeating Kim, who received 43.9%. The vote difference between the two candidates was 9,634 votes.

Heo previously served as the chief secretary and political secretary to Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and currently serves as the chairman of the Democratic Party's Gangwon Provincial Committee.

Candidate Kim Jin-tae of the United Future Party, who ran in the Chuncheon-Cheorwon-Hwacheon-Yanggu Gap electoral district in the April 15 general election, is watching the exit poll broadcast at the campaign office.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The two candidates had an extremely close race. Kim, who was seeking a third term, led Heo by a narrow margin from the early stages of vote counting. However, the gap was only 2 to 3 percentage points.

The nail-biting contest continued back and forth until 1 a.m. on the 16th, seven hours after the counting began.

From that point, Heo began to make a comeback. Heo, who was closely chasing Kim, gradually narrowed the gap and succeeded in overtaking for the first time when the counting rate exceeded 43%. After that, Heo maintained a slim lead, while Kim pursued fiercely.

When the counting rate surpassed 60%, the gap between the two candidates was only 2%. It was an extremely close race that no one could predict.

Then, from 2:40 a.m., when the counting rate exceeded 79%, the tide sharply turned in favor of Heo. Finally, around 3:30 a.m., with 99.98% of the votes counted, Heo secured 51.31% of the votes, beating Kim, who had 43.94%, by a margin of 7.37 percentage points, becoming the protagonist of this dramatic victory.

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