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The Democratic Party has produced its first five-term Seoul city councilor. With 118 councilors, including Seoul City Councilor Kim Ki-deok (Democratic Party, Mapo 4), elected through the June 3 local elections, the 12th Seoul Metropolitan Council will be formed on July 1.
The total number of Seoul city councilors from the 1st through 12th councils will rise to 1,236.
The 12th Seoul Metropolitan Council, which will lead the city's legislative affairs for four years, comprises 80 Democratic Party members (73 from districts, 7 proportional representatives) and 38 People Power Party members (30 from districts, 8 proportional representatives), for a total of 118 (103 from districts, 15 proportional representatives) — the exact opposite of the 11th council (76 People Power Party, 36 Democratic Party).
Among the elected, including this 12th council win, there is one five-term councilor, one four-term councilor, 12 three-term councilors, 30 two-term councilors, and 74 first-term councilors.
The most senior elected councilor is the five-term Kim Ki-deok (Democratic Party, Mapo 4, 5th, 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th councils), while the four-term winner is Kim In-je (Democratic Party, Guro 2, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th councils).
The three-term winners are Lee Young-sil (Democratic Party, Jungnang 1, 10th, 11th, 12th), Kang Dong-gil (Democratic Party, Seongbuk 3, 10th, 11th, 12th), Lee Sang-hoon (Democratic Party, Gangbuk 2, 10th, 11th, 12th), Bong Yang-sun (Democratic Party, Nowon 3, 10th, 11th, 12th), Seong Heum-je (Democratic Party, Eunpyeong 1, 10th, 11th, 12th), Lee Byung-do (Democratic Party, Eunpyeong 2, 10th, 11th, 12th), Lee Hyun-chan (Democratic Party, Eunpyeong 4, 9th, 10th, 12th), Lee Seung-mi (Democratic Party, Seodaemun 3, 10th, 11th, 12th), Im Man-gyun (Democratic Party, Gwanak 3, 10th, 11th, 12th), Park Jung-hwa (People Power Party, Seongdong 1, 9th, 11th, 12th), Lee Sook-ja (People Power Party, Seocho 2, 9th, 11th, 12th), and Lee Sung-bae (People Power Party, Songpa 4, 10th, 11th, 12th).
The two-term councilors number 30 in total, with 18 from the Democratic Party and 12 from the People Power Party, while the first-term councilors total 74, including proportional representatives, with 52 from the Democratic Party and 22 from the People Power Party.
Kim Ki-deok recorded a high vote share of 60.16% in this election. "I will work as a local servant who leads change suited to the times to open Mapo's golden era," Kim said. "If the past four years as a member of the minority party were a period of stagnation, I will repay you with vibrant politics over the next four years."
Meanwhile, this election made Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon the first to win five terms as Seoul mayor. Counting his resignation and the by-election, his terms add up to a total of 14 years in office.
Kim Ki-deok will have served a combined 20 years in legislative activity through the 12th council. During this time, while serving as an elder figure among fellow councilors, he has demonstrated outstanding judgment and experience across all areas of legislative work, including administrative audits, budget formulation and review, and the enactment and amendment of ordinances.
In particular, during his four terms he was recognized for his dedication and efforts toward Mapo's development by resolving major issues such as preparations for the 2002 World Cup, the groundbreaking of the Daejang-Hongdae Line, and the cancellation of additional construction of the Mapo waste incineration plant.
"I will properly carry out the role of checks so that the Seoul city administration sets the right direction and realizes governance that looks only to its citizens," Kim emphasized. "Notably, issues such as the inspector general's office quota, the Han River Bus, and TBS need to be handled more prudently and normalized."
