Gwangju Buk-gu Mayor Moon In Says He Will Not Run in Local Elections, Clarifies Political Future

Apologizes for confusion over reversed resignation
Focuses on Gwangju-Jeonnam integration

Moon In, Mayor of Buk-gu, Gwangju. Provided by Buk-gu Office, Gwangju.

Moon In, Mayor of Gwangju Buk-gu, who had sparked controversy over his "back-and-forth behavior" during his resignation and reversal process to run for Gwangju mayor, has officially declared that he will not run in the 9th Nationwide Local Elections to be held on June 3.

On the 10th, Mayor Moon held a press conference in the situation room of Gwangju Buk-gu Office and announced, "I will not run in this Buk-gu mayoral election," adding, "I will also not seek candidacy in the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Mayor election, which is currently under discussion."

With this, Mayor Moon has completely withdrawn from the race in this round of local elections.

Mayor Moon bowed his head and said, "I sincerely apologize to everyone who experienced confusion due to my withdrawal of the resignation as Buk-gu mayor amid the unexpectedly rapid push for administrative integration."

He explained the background of his decision not to run by saying, "I have been preparing for a new Gwangju out of a sense of duty to solve the livelihood issues of Gwangju citizens, but I felt my own shortcomings in the rapidly changing political environment."

He went on to say, "I will take the practical integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam, which will be a critical inflection point for regional development, as my final duty and will work hard until the end," adding, "I am grateful to the residents of Buk-gu who have trusted and supported me over the past eight years, and I will do my utmost for the remainder of my term so that this decision not to run becomes not the end but a new beginning."

When asked about the possibility of running as an independent in the future, he drew a clear line, saying, "I have no intention of betraying the Democratic Party."

Earlier, with a run for Gwangju mayor in mind, Mayor Moon submitted his resignation letter to the council at the end of last year stating that he would resign as of January 8, 2026. However, as discussions on administrative integration between Gwangju and Jeonnam rapidly gained momentum, he withdrew this resignation on the 7th of last month, just one day before the scheduled resignation date, thereby inviting controversy.

Afterward, he applied to change the level of his qualification screening as a preliminary candidate for the Democratic Party from metropolitan mayoral candidate to basic local government head, but noise surrounding his political future did not cease, as he came under pressure from the Buk-gu Council to explain the reasons behind his reversal of resignation.

Political circles in the region believe that Mayor Moon ultimately decided not to run because he felt fatigued by the political attacks, including critical public opinion over his reversal of resignation and the council’s demand that he appear for an emergency interpellation on urgent pending issues.

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