Pyeongtaek Mayor Jung Jangsun Announces Retirement from Politics, Will Not Run in Local Elections

Jung Jang-sun, Mayor of Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, has announced that he will not run in the local elections scheduled for June next year.

Jung Jangsun, Mayor of Pyeongtaek. Provided by Pyeongtaek City

On September 25, while returning to Korea from a business trip to the United States, Mayor Jung stated via Facebook, "With the conclusion of my current term as mayor, I will not run for any public office, including mayor, member of the National Assembly, or governor, in any future elections."

In his post, Mayor Jung wrote, "It has now been 30 years since my political career began with the launch of the unified Pyeongtaek City in 1995," adding, "For a long time, I have thought it would be best to put an end to my political career after about 30 years."

He continued, "Before making this decision, I had lengthy discussions with my family, and they gave me their full support. In particular, my wife is making plans for our life together as I return to everyday life, and my sons are looking forward to seeing me as a private citizen."

Mayor Jung's remarks are widely interpreted as not only a decision not to run in the local elections, but also as an effective retirement from politics.

Born in 1958 in Godeok-myeon, Pyeongtaek County (now Pyeongtaek City), Mayor Jung began his political career in 1995 as a member of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council after serving in the Presidential Secretariat under the Roh Tae-woo and civilian governments. He went on to serve as a member of the 16th, 17th, and 18th National Assembly, and also held the position of Secretary-General of the Democratic Party. He was elected as the 7th popularly elected Mayor of Pyeongtaek and succeeded in being re-elected for the 8th term.

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