[Exclusive] Lee Chang-woo, Dongjak District Mayor, First to Decide Not to Run in Next Year’s Local Election

Incumbent District Mayor Announces to Staff He Will Not Run in Next June 1 Local Election...Over 8 Years, Established Jangseungbaegi Administrative Town Framework, Setting Historic Record Unmatched by Any Previous Dongjak District Mayor

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] It has been reported that Lee Chang-woo, Mayor of Dongjak District, has decided not to run in next year's local elections.

Lee, who was elected as the 6th popularly elected mayor of Dongjak District and has served as mayor for eight years through the 7th term, has privately expressed since last year his intention not to run in next year's local elections, and recently formalized this intention during a meeting with staff.

Lee is said to have told his staff recently, "Starting July 1 next year, I will be working alongside other district mayors."

He has also been known to frequently say, "One term as mayor is short, and two terms are enough."

Accordingly, when Lee first mentioned his intention not to run, Dongjak District Office staff were skeptical, but these days they are accepting it as a foregone conclusion.

It is anticipated that after completing his second term as mayor and taking a break for a certain period, Lee is likely to run in the 22nd general election.

Born in 1970, the same year as Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, Lee is one of the youngest among the 25 district mayors of Seoul. During his eight years as mayor of Dongjak District, he has left achievements that no previous Dongjak mayor has accomplished, such as establishing the framework for the construction of the Jangseungbaegi Administrative Town and the development of the Yongyang Rowing Auxiliary Facility.

As Lee, a member of the Democratic Party, was the first to declare he would not run in the 8th popularly elected local elections, nine other mayors will not run in the Seoul district mayor elections scheduled for June 1 next year. These include Kim Young-jong, former mayor of Jongno District who resigned to run for the National Assembly election in Jongno on March 9 next year, as well as Sung Chang-hyun of Yongsan District, Yoo Deok-yeol of Dongdaemun District, Park Kyum-soo of Gangbuk District, Lee Dong-jin of Dobong District, Moon Seok-jin of Seodaemun District, Noh Hyun-song of Gangseo District, and Lee Sung of Guro District.

There are three Democratic Party-affiliated mayors who are serving their second term in Seoul: Lee Chang-woo, Jung Won-oh of Seongdong District, and Kim Soo-young of Yangcheon District.

Additionally, Jo Eun-hee, a two-term mayor of Seocho District from the People Power Party, resigned to run in the by-election for Seocho Gap National Assembly seat next year.

As a result, ten of the 25 district mayors in Seoul will naturally not run, paving the way for many new figures to emerge.

Lee, a native of Dongjak District who graduated from Sangdo Elementary School and served as an administrative officer in the 1st Secretariat of President Roh Moo-hyun, has revealed his intention not to run in next year's local elections. It is reported that about 30 candidates in the region are actively preparing to run for the Dongjak District mayoral election.

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