"Overwhelming growth, a greater Jeonnam-Gwangju. Min Hyung-bae will deliver."
Min Hyung-bae of the Democratic Party of Korea has been elected as the first mayor of the integrated Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City. In his acceptance speech on Tuesday, Min said, "We now stand at the doorstep of Korea's first and only integrated special city. The opportunity has arrived for Jeonnam and Gwangju to unite and leap forward as a new growth axis for the Republic of Korea."
Upon his election, Min reflected on the future of Jeonnam-Gwangju and presented three core tasks for the success of the integrated special city.
First, Min unveiled his vision to develop Jeonnam-Gwangju into a core hub of Korea's new growth. "By combining Jeonnam's energy resources with Gwangju's advanced AI and cultural capabilities, we will expand industry and jobs and raise citizens' incomes and quality of life," he said. "Beyond that, we will build an integrated special city where the fruits of growth return to the lives of every citizen." He added, "We will establish a citizen-sovereignty government in which administration follows the decisions of citizens. We will implement governance in which the will of sovereign citizens stands at the center of city affairs."
Min also extended his gratitude and consolation to the candidates who competed alongside him, urging them to "join forces for the future of Jeonnam-Gwangju."
"The era of discrimination and marginalization is now over, and the era of the new Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City begins," Min said. "We will build an integrated special city where the lives of each and every citizen improve, and we will repay this support by realizing a Daedong world where everyone prospers together."
According to the Election Statistics System of the National Election Commission, Min won 79.01% of the vote in the 9th nationwide local elections held the previous day, defeating People Power Party candidate Lee Jung-hyun (11.68%), Justice Party candidate Kang Eun-mi (3.85%), Progressive Party candidate Lee Jong-wook (3.71%) and independent candidate Kim Kwang-man (1.73%) by a wide margin to become the first mayor of the integrated Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City.
