Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party of Korea was elected governor of Gyeonggi Province in the ninth nationwide local elections held Tuesday, marking a new milestone in Korea's political history.
Choo became the first female governor of Gyeonggi Province, the country's largest metropolitan local government. She also set a meaningful record as the first woman ever elected to head a metropolitan local government since the revival of popularly elected local autonomy.
Born in 1958 in Dalseong County, North Gyeongsang Province, Choo graduated from Gyeongbuk Girls' High School and Hanyang University College of Law before passing the 24th national bar examination and entering the legal profession. She served as a judge at the Chuncheon, Incheon and Jeonju district courts and the Gwangju High Court, building her legal career before entering politics, where she went on to gain wide-ranging experience in both legislative and executive affairs.
Her entry into politics dates back to 1995, when she was recruited by then-National Congress for New Politics chairman Kim Dae-jung. She subsequently held key positions in successor parties of the Democratic Party lineage, experiencing both the achievements and setbacks of the party.
Elected to the National Assembly six times, from the 15th through the 22nd Assembly, she set the record for the most terms served by a female lawmaker. She also served as party leader, supreme council member and chair of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
She is regarded as one of Korea's leading female politicians with experience across the judiciary, legislature and executive branches. As a former judge who chaired the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, she led legislation on prosecutorial and judicial reform, and as the 67th justice minister she pushed forward the government's reform agenda. This track record has earned her recognition as a figure equipped with both the policy-driving capability and administrative experience required of a head of local government.
In her first term as a lawmaker, Choo took the lead in uncovering the list of Jeju April 3 incident detainees, enacting the special law on the incident, and restoring the honor of victims, and she has consistently spoken out on issues facing the socially disadvantaged and victims of state violence. This is the background to her reputation as a politician who values principle and conviction.
During the campaign, Choo ran under the slogan of "innovative administration that proves itself through results," presenting the fostering of the semiconductor industry, expansion of transportation infrastructure and recovery of the people's livelihood economy as core pledges. In particular, she emphasized her vision of linking the administrative capacity of Gyeonggi Province, the country's largest local government, to a national growth engine.
Visiting her campaign headquarters in Ingye-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon, at around 12:08 a.m. Wednesday, when her victory became all but certain, Choo said, "No matter how difficult the path of upholding principle and conviction, I have done politics by quietly looking only to the people." She added, "The people of Gyeonggi believed in the sincerity of this Choo Mi-ae and chose me. I sincerely thank them."
"Personally, this is the greatest honor. At the same time, I feel the heavy responsibility of making sure this is a choice the residents will never regret," she said. "I will resolve, one by one, the transportation, housing, employment and balanced-development challenges facing Gyeonggi Province."
