With the June 3 local elections fast approaching, one incumbent local government leader has still not declared his candidacy.
That would be Suncheon Mayor Roh Kwan-kyu, who along with Goheung County chief remains the only sitting official in South Jeolla Province yet to formally announce a reelection bid.
While fierce competition is already underway in the Democratic Party primary, Mayor Roh remains unfazed.
Why?
"I will keep my promise to the citizens of Suncheon who called me back after 10 years, until the very end."
This pledge has become reality in the final stretch of his eighth popularly elected term.
He has proven internally and externally that he has fulfilled the campaign promises made to Suncheon citizens.
According to the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters, based on campaign promise implementation data as of December 31, 2025, published on the websites of 226 cities, counties, and districts nationwide, Suncheon received the highest grade of 'SA.'
The evaluation criteria include campaign promise completion (100 points), 2025 target achievement (100 points), resident communication (100 points), web communication (Pass/Fail), and promise consistency. Results are classified into five grades: SA, A, B, C, and D.
The SA grade awarded to Suncheon is given to those scoring 90 points or above based on total score criteria. The same standards were applied to all 226 basic local governments nationwide.
Suncheon currently manages and publicly discloses data on a total of 38 campaign promise projects, which can be viewed on the Suncheon city website.
Among Mayor Roh's many campaign promises, he quenched citizens' long-held thirst for a large shopping mall by bringing in Costco, and completed a luxury hotel on top of that. Based on his ecological capital policy, he presented differentiated settlement conditions and succeeded in attracting listed companies including major corporations—an achievement hailed as a "revolt by a regional city." He is widely credited with elevating Suncheon's status to a new level.
His current achievements are exceeding the promises he originally made.
Building on the tremendous success of the 2023 Suncheon Bay International Garden Expo, which marked a milestone in Korean international events, he elevated Suncheon Bay National Garden to global icon status. Based on the resulting tourism revenue, he has consecutively provided livelihood support funds to all citizens at the times they needed most.
Mayor Roh preemptively launched the 'RE100 Semiconductor National Industrial Complex,' securing the future not only of Suncheon but the entire eastern South Jeolla region. Notably, without spending citizens' tax money, he definitively shed the stigma of an urgent issue: the city's public institutions receiving the lowest integrity rating for three consecutive years.
Mayor Roh, praised for reviving the 'Palma Spirit' of Choi Seok, a deputy governor symbolizing integrity, received the Grand Prize at the 6th Korea Integrity Awards ceremony hosted by the Citizens' Movement Association for Reporting Public and Private Corruption on January 24.
The ceremony was organized to discover and encourage individuals and organizations that have practiced integrity and public interest across the public and private sectors. A total of 11 recipients were honored that day, with Mayor Roh receiving the Grand Prize in the basic local government administration category. Only two mayors received awards in this category—Mayor Roh and Jinju Mayor Jo Gyu-il—adding significance to the honor.
Mayor Roh wrote on his Facebook page, "Given the very difficult state of the public economy, even if it somewhat affects the election, I will focus on fulfilling my duties as mayor rather than immediately registering as a candidate." He added, "The judgment and choice of Suncheon citizens, the heartland of Honam politics, has always been for competent candidates who work hard and have a vision for the future. I trust the citizens of Suncheon and will repay them with governance that pours my heart and soul into it."
