"The talked-about winner, a David-versus-Goliath fight, the biggest upset…."
These are the phrases attached to Kim Tae-sung of the Rebuilding Korea Party, the county head-elect of Shinan in South Jeolla Province, who drew national attention in the June 3 local elections despite the county's population of only around 40,000.
Behind these descriptions lies his blocking of the Democratic Party candidate Park Woo-ryang's bid for a "stepping-stone fifth term," an outcome no one had predicted in the early stages of the race.
It is also why the election strategy of Kim Tae-sung, who is now the county head-elect, is being credited with tapping into public sentiment that sought to put an end to 20 years of long-term rule.
Kim's "Shinan and only Shinan" sincerity seeped into the hearts of county residents.
After being unfairly excluded from the Democratic Party's nomination, he called during the campaign for the reclaiming of "Shinan democracy." He also placed administrative reform front and center, citing fatigue from long-term rule.
He pledged to restore Shinan's lost democracy, to establish a clean county administration, and to run county affairs together with residents.
His face, which grew darker by the day as he met with residents in a schedule where 24 hours a day were not enough, and the sneakers he wore throughout the campaign were worn down to the ground.
This election process by Kim Tae-sung delivered authenticity and left a weighty resonance. His campaign promises were also distinctive.
In this election, his core pledges included building an RE100 smart green national industrial complex near Aphae Island, constructing a self-sufficient ecological smart city with a population of 100,000, creating a complex logistics center linking energy, marine, and aviation industries, and establishing a youth startup-oriented knowledge industry center.
The tasks laid out before Kim are piled high. Above all, he must realize the large-scale development projects presented during the campaign, and he must unite the divided public sentiment into one.
He is aware of this.
"I will shake off all the hatred and animosity that occurred during the election process, and now I will gather all my strength solely into building one Shinan," Kim Tae-sung said, appealing in the very first words of his acceptance remarks for residents to "actively participate in building a new Shinan."
Kim Tae-sung began his first official schedule after winning by paying tribute at the Aphae Island memorial tower Wednesday, entering full-scale preparations for county administration.
That day, at the memorial tower, Kim laid flowers and offered incense to honor the noble sacrificial spirit of patriotic martyrs and the spirits of those who defended the nation, pledging a new leap forward for Shinan County and harmony among residents.
Anticipation is mounting over Kim Tae-sung's sincerity, his vision, and the future of Shinan.
A native of Imja Township, Kim graduated from Imja Middle School, Salesio High School in Gwangju, and the Korea Military Academy, retiring from the army as a major general. He previously served as an investigation committee member on insurrection in the Democratic Party, making a name for himself as a defense expert. His family includes his spouse, Lee Kyung, and a son and a daughter.
