The June 3 local elections drew attention for unusual records, including the election of North Chungcheong Province's youngest head of a basic local government and a former National Assembly member's entry into a basic-level council. In Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, one electoral district was decided by a margin of just one vote.
According to political circles on the 4th, Lee Dong-seok of the People Power Party, who won the Chungju mayoral race, is the youngest head of a basic local government elected in this local election. Born in 1985, Lee, 40 this year, is the youngest among heads of basic local governments produced in the North Chungcheong region. The previous record was set by current National Assembly member Eom Tae-young (People Power Party), who was elected Jecheon mayor at age 44 in the 2002 local elections.
Lee trailed Democratic Party candidate Maeng Jeong-seop from early in the vote count but succeeded in a late comeback. During the campaign, he appealed for support under the banner of "Young Chungju, New Chungju." His major pledges included attracting a tertiary general hospital to Seochungju New Town, establishing the Chungju Tourism Corporation, building an arts center, and attracting semiconductor parts companies.
Immediately after his election, Lee said, "I will accept with a heavy sense of responsibility the choice of citizens who wish for change in Chungju," adding, "I will create city governance that puts citizens' lives first and proves promises through action."
Former National Assembly member Sohn Hye-won ran as an independent in the La district of the Mokpo City Council and was elected. While there have been cases of former National Assembly members running for local government head or metropolitan council positions, it is highly unusual for one to run for and win a basic-level council election. "I will make tourists overflow into Mokpo's old downtown," she pledged, adding, "I will do my best to produce visible results within this year."
In the South Chungcheong Provincial Council election for Nonsan City's First District, Democratic Party winner Gi Ho-yeop (11,594 votes) defeated People Power Party candidate Yun Gi-hyeong (11,593 votes) by just one vote. The two candidates had initially each received 11,592 votes, but the outcome was determined after a detailed recount.
This is not the first one-vote contest in election history. In the 2008 by-election for Goseong county head in Gangwon Province, independent candidate Hwang Jong-guk was elected with 4,597 votes, one ahead of independent candidate Yun Seung-geun (4,596 votes).
