Independent candidate Oh Tae-wan won his third term as mayor of Uiryeong County in South Gyeongsang Province in the June 3 local elections.
Based on Uiryeong County mayoral vote counting results as of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday, Oh secured 47.50% of the vote, defeating Son Tae-young of the Democratic Party of Korea and Kang Won-deok of the People Power Party. Oh had initially applied for the People Power Party's nomination for the Uiryeong County mayoral race but left the party and ran as an independent after internal opposition mounted over a past indecent assault controversy.
"I sincerely thank the residents of Uiryeong County," Oh said. "I believe this victory is not my victory but the result of the earnest aspirations of residents who feel that 'Uiryeong must not stop here and must continue to develop.'"
"I will engrave every word that residents shared with me during the campaign deep in my heart and become a mayor who serves with greater humility," he said. He added, "The next four years are a crucial golden time that will determine Uiryeong's next 100 years. I will push forward with extending the North-South Axis 6 Expressway and establishing a new Uiryeong IC, revive the local economy to create good jobs, and make Uiryeong a place that young people seek out."
