Who is the Current Seoul City Council Member Aiming to Become the Next Seoul District Mayor?

4-term Kim Hyun-gi, former first half Seoul City Council chairman, weighing candidacy for Gangnam District mayor; 3-term Woo Hyung-chan, former first half vice chairman, Yangcheon District mayor... 2-term Kang Dong-gil city council member, current Lee Seung-ro Seongbuk District mayor, Song Do-ho city council member, Park Jun-hee Gwanak District mayor, 2-term Choi Ki-chan city council member likely to challenge Yuseong-hoon Geumcheon District mayor

The 9th term of the local elections is less than two years away.

Accordingly, the pace of Seoul city council members aiming for district mayor positions is gradually accelerating.

In particular, as the number of Seoul city council members who become district mayors is increasing, the trend of council members challenging for district mayor positions is also rising.

Among the current Seoul city council members, Kim Hyun-ki, a four-term council member and the chairperson of the first half of the term, is weighing a run for Gangnam District Mayor.

Chairperson Kim is known to have a strong will to challenge for Gangnam District Mayor based on solid achievements such as traffic broadcasting and Seoul city academic evaluations during his tenure as chairperson in the first half.

Especially, Chairperson Kim, who holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration with a focus on finance from Dongguk University, is said to have a strong intention to run for district mayor, having devoted great efforts to education, including improving school facilities in the Gangnam area.

Kim Hyun-ki, First Half Chairman

However, Gangnam District Mayor, a stronghold of the People Power Party, is currently held by Jo Seong-myeong, and since many prominent candidates are eyeing this area, it is being watched whether Kim can secure the final nomination ticket.

Woo Hyung-chan, a three-term council member and the most senior member of the Democratic Party, who served as the vice chairperson in the first half, appears to have a strong chance if nominated, as the Democratic Party overwhelmingly won in Yangcheon Eul district in the 22nd general election.

Since his first term, Councilor Woo has established himself as a transportation expert politician by focusing on issues such as aircraft noise in Yangcheon-gu, and it is widely expected that he will pass the primary election stage without difficulty.

In particular, Councilor Woo, who attended elementary through high school in the Yangcheon area, is known to have good relationships with both Hwang Hee, the National Assembly member for Yangcheon Gap, and Lee Yong-seon, the member for Yangcheon Eul, giving him a favorable position.

Woo Hyang-chan First Half Vice Chairman

Kang Dong-gil, a two-term council member from the Democratic Party, is aiming for Seongbuk District Mayor and is expected to face a primary against the incumbent two-term mayor Lee Seung-ro.

However, since both Kang and Mayor Lee represent the same Seongbuk area, if a candidate emerges in the Seongbuk Gap district, another variable is expected to arise.

Especially, if the incumbent Mayor Lee Seung-ro runs in the primary, it does not seem easy to defeat him.

In Gwanak-gu, the current two-term mayor Park Jun-hee from the Democratic Party is being challenged by two-term council member Song Do-ho.

Since Gwanak-gu is a Democratic Party stronghold, it seems highly likely that the Democratic candidate will eventually be elected as district mayor in the 9th term.

In Geumcheon-gu, two-term Democratic mayor Yoo Seong-hoon is holding his position, while two-term council member Choi Ki-chan is expected to challenge him.

Especially, Mayor Yoo has experience overcoming a tough re-election battle when the current National Assembly member fielded another candidate, so attention is focused on how he will overcome the barrier to a third term.

As such, most two-term or three-term (or more) council members have the dream of challenging for district mayor in the next local election to serve as regional commanders and promote local development.

Accordingly, the footsteps of prospective candidates already aiming for the next Seoul district mayor positions are quickening.

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