Lee Jangwoo vs. Heo Taejung: Former and Incumbent Daejeon Mayors Face Off Again, Heating Up Election Race

Rematch Draws Intense Attention

Razor-Thin 2.39% Margin Sets Stage for High-Stakes Showdown Four Years Later

The race for Daejeon mayor in the June 3 local elections is intensifying between Lee Jangwoo, the People Power Party candidate seeking re-election, and Heo Taejung, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate aiming to reclaim the position. With a rematch taking place after four years, the achievements of the 7th and 8th popularly elected city administrations are clashing head-on.

The contest is heating up as the former and current mayors, whose roles have reversed since the razor-thin 2.39 percentage point margin four years ago, are facing off once again.

This article highlights the backgrounds and careers of the Daejeon mayoral candidates.

Candidate Lee was born in 1965 in Cheongyang County, Chungcheongnam-do. He graduated from Daejeon High School and earned bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in public administration from Daejeon University.

He entered politics in 1997 as an aide to National Congress for New Politics lawmaker Lee Yanghee, and later served as a member of the 19th and 20th National Assembly and as head of Dong-gu District in Daejeon.

In the 4th nationwide local elections in 2006, he ran as a Grand National Party candidate and was elected head of Dong-gu District, Daejeon. In the 19th National Assembly election in 2012, he was elected as a first-term lawmaker representing Dong-gu, Daejeon for the Saenuri Party, and he was re-elected in the 20th National Assembly election in 2016 for the same constituency and party.

In the 8th nationwide local elections in 2022, he ran as the People Power Party candidate for Daejeon mayor, defeating then-incumbent Heo Taejung of the Democratic Party of Korea by a margin of 2.39 percentage points and securing 51.19% of the vote, thus becoming the 8th popularly elected mayor of Daejeon.

Candidate Heo was born in 1965 in Yesan County, Chungcheongnam-do, and graduated from Daejeon Daeseong High School and the Department of Philosophy at Chungnam National University.

He was selected to work in the administration of President Roh Moo-hyun, serving for over two years at the Presidential Secretariat in the Blue House as a human resources officer and social affairs officer, and worked as a policy advisor to Minister Oh Myung of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

In the 5th nationwide local elections in 2010, he ran as the Democratic Party candidate for head of Yuseong-gu District, Daejeon, defeating incumbent Grand National Party candidate Jin Dongkyu. He was elected and served as district head.

He was re-elected as head of Yuseong-gu District, Daejeon in the 6th nationwide local elections in 2014 as a candidate for the New Politics Alliance for Democracy. In the 7th nationwide local elections in 2018, he was elected mayor of Daejeon for the Democratic Party of Korea.

In the 8th nationwide local elections in June 2022, he was nominated again as the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Daejeon mayor and sought re-election, but narrowly lost to People Power Party candidate Lee Jangwoo, failing to secure a second term.