What Is the Background Behind Jung Won-oh, Seongdong-gu Mayor, Declaring Not to Run in the General Election?

'Seoul's Only Autonomous District Head Elected Three Times' Jung Won-oh, Seongdong-gu Mayor, Announces on Facebook on November 30 He Will Not Run in the General Election... Expected to Achieve Organizational Stability

Jung Won-oh, the mayor of Seongdong-gu, officially announced that he will not run in the general election next April.

On November 30, Mayor Jung stated on his Facebook, “I will not run in next year’s general election and will fulfill my responsibilities for the development of Seongdong-gu and the happiness of its residents.”

Before officially announcing his decision not to run, Mayor Jung reportedly called Deputy Mayor Yubo-hwa and the directors to inform them of his intentions in advance. At this meeting, he said, “Since the staff are curious and the organization could be shaken, it is desirable to clarify my position,” expressing his determination not to run.

After being elected for a third term as mayor of Seongdong-gu in the 8th local election, there was widespread speculation that he might run in next year’s general election. However, he showed an ambiguous attitude by neither confirming nor denying these rumors.

Additionally, Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party and a three-term local member of the National Assembly, declared his candidacy in a difficult district and moved to Seocho-eul, leaving the chairman position vacant. Mayor Jung is currently acting as the interim chairman.

Furthermore, former Blue House Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok, a two-term former National Assembly member from Seongdong whom Mayor Jung once served as an aide, has expressed his intention to run in the general election, which is expected to have influenced Mayor Jung’s decision not to run to some extent.

Moreover, Park Yang-sook, a former Seoul City Council member from Seongdong (and former Seoul City Senior Secretary for Political Affairs), is also actively considering running in the general election, drawing attention.

In particular, it is analyzed that if the current mayor resigns to run for the National Assembly, there would be significant opposition from local residents.

For these reasons, a few months ago, there was a forecast article suggesting that it would be difficult for Jung Won-oh, mayor of Seongdong-gu, to run in the general election.

Above all, to run for the National Assembly, one must go through a primary election, and if a current local government head runs, there is a 30% penalty clause, making the challenge far from easy.

For the Democratic Party, there was also the case of Seongchang-hyun, the four-term mayor of Yongsan-gu and former chairman of the National Association of Mayors and Governors, known as the “Yongsan connector,” who intended to run in the 21st general election but gave up at the last minute.

For these various reasons, Mayor Jung’s declaration of not running in the general election is said to have brought relief to the district office staff.

One district office executive said, “Reporters often asked whether Mayor Jung would run in the general election, and it was difficult to respond properly, but it is good that the mayor gave a clear answer.”

Accordingly, it is expected that it will not be easy for incumbent Democratic Party mayors, county heads, and district mayors to run in next year’s general election.

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