[2022 Local Elections Who's Running] Gwangju Metropolitan City Dong-gu District Mayor

Active Chief Im Taek Likely to Seek Reelection Amid Premier Term 'Defense' Interest

Old Downtown Development and Young Generation Influx Are Variables... Kang Shinki, Kim Seonghwan Among Contenders

From the left in the photo: Im Taek, Mayor of Dong-gu, Gwangju; Kang Shinki, former Director of Planning and Coordination Office, Gwangju; Kim Seonghwan, former Mayor of Dong-gu.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] [Editor's Note] The local elections on June 1 next year are just over 260 days away. This local election will be held immediately after the nation's first-ever 'Cherry Blossom Presidential Election,' and the landscape could change depending on who becomes the presidential candidate. Accordingly, political figures aiming for basic local government heads have already entered the strategic battle. Among the five basic local government heads in the Gwangju area, some have completed trials or are awaiting results, leading to an intense contest between challengers seeking change and incumbent district mayors defending their positions. Ahead of the Chuseok holiday, challengers are putting great effort into capturing the so-called 'holiday public sentiment' at family and relatives' gatherings. Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters has outlined the election landscape for next year's basic local government head elections by autonomous district in the Gwangju area.

The Gwangju Metropolitan City Dong-gu Mayor election is expected to see competition from challengers against the incumbent Mayor Im Taek's bid for re-election.

Next year's Dong-gu mayoral election is a region where variables are expected due to the gradual development of the underdeveloped old downtown and the influx of younger generations.

First, Mayor Im Taek's bid for re-election is considered certain. He is recognized as the first grassroots local government politician who has served as both a district council member and a city council member, and is highly praised for his empathy and communication skills with residents.

Starting from district council member to city council member and then to district mayor, he is regarded as a local government expert who knows the region better than anyone else through his hands-on experience in local autonomy.

Mayor Im's greatest achievement is transforming Dong-gu's image from an underdeveloped old downtown to a 'happy Dong-gu' that is 'desirable to visit and live in' through active urban regeneration projects and recovering a population of 100,000.

This is evidenced by Dong-gu winning first place nationwide in the 2020 Local Government Productivity Award, which evaluates local administrative capacity and residents' quality of life, and receiving the Presidential Award as the most livable local government.

Additionally, Dong-gu has received awards such as the Korea Healthy City Policy Award and the Chairman's Award from the National Balanced Development Committee at the Good Local Autonomy Policy Conference. During the 7th local government term alone, it secured the largest number of awards with 110 cases and the largest budget ever of 179.4 billion KRW, demonstrating outstanding administrative capabilities through projects such as the 55 billion KRW urban regeneration New Deal project for Dongmyeong-dong and Seonam-dong Printing Street, the 10 billion KRW Smart Green City project in Sansu-dong, the 5.6 billion KRW Seongyo Reservoir Complex Lake Park creation project, and the 4 billion KRW Light Fountain creation project in the Culture Hall area.

In opposition, Kang Shinki, former Gwangju City Planning and Coordination Office Director, who ranked second to Im Taek in the Democratic Party primary during the last local election, is also being mentioned as a candidate.

He is expected to challenge by leveraging his 27 years of extensive administrative experience in central government ministries such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Gwangju City.

In the last local election, he declared his candidacy stating, "During my tenure at City Hall, I showed passion and effort for regional development, and through diverse experiences and networks in the central government, I will revitalize the stagnant Dong-gu and restore its former glory."

A rematch between former and incumbent district mayors is also anticipated.

Kim Seonghwan, former Dong-gu mayor who ran as an independent in the April 15 general election and was defeated, is also mentioned as a candidate for next year's local election.

Kim, who entered public service through the administrative examination, has 25 years of experience in central government offices such as the Prime Minister's Office and the Office for Government Policy Coordination, which is considered his greatest strength.

He was elected as Dong-gu mayor in the April 2016 by-election as a candidate of the People's Party but failed to secure re-election in the June 2018 local election, losing to the current Mayor Im.

In addition, former Gwangju City Council members Yang Hyeryeong and Jin Seonki are steadily being mentioned as potential candidates.

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