Choi Sun, former administrative official at the presidential office, officially declared his candidacy for Gangbuk District Mayor.
At a press conference held in front of Gangbuk District Office on the 7th, preliminary candidate Choi stated, "Gangbuk has been stagnant for over 20 years. Pledges poured out and banners were hung, but residents' lives have not changed much." He added, "From my first day as district mayor, I will restart Gangbuk's frozen clock."
Choi served as a Gangbuk District Council member for the 5th and 6th terms and as a Seoul Metropolitan Council member for the 10th term. He also worked as an aide to National Assembly member Park Yong-jin and as an administrative official in the Public Engagement Secretary's Office at the presidential office under the Lee Jae-myung administration.
"Gangbuk's problems—height restrictions due to Bukhansan Mountain, overlapping landscape and park regulations, and an outdated railway network—can only be solved by producing real results at the negotiating table with Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Climate and Energy," he said. "Leveraging my 26 years of on-the-ground experience as a Gangbuk native and my government expertise from serving in the Lee Jae-myung administration's presidential office, I will dramatically ease the regulations surrounding Gangbuk."
Choi also announced "Nine Promises to Gangbuk Residents" at the event. Key pledges include: a major regulatory deal for Gangbuk; compact city development around Suyu and Mia Intersection station areas; fast-track renovation of aging villas and multi-family housing; achieving a 70% original resident resettlement rate; establishing a Gangbuk Opportunity Fund; pursuing the Shin-Gangbuk Line and Dongbuk Line as a package; enhancing Dobong-ro and Samyang-ro with BRT plus direct and late-night services; creating attractive neighborhoods with premium middle schools; and implementing year-round performance-based administration.
Addressing the exodus of younger generations due to education concerns, he emphasized, "Cultivating premium middle schools is not merely an education pledge but the starting point for Gangbuk's urban regeneration." He pledged full investment in public education specialization and career support. "I will prove myself through capability, not political rhetoric—through results, not slogans," Choi said.
