![Kim Tae-gyu, the People Power Party winner of the Ulsan Nam-gu A National Assembly by-election [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/04/news-p.v1.20260604.fc0bce67169c4019b874366a4a435a8e_P1.jpg)
People Power Party candidate Kim Tae-gyu won the National Assembly by-election in Ulsan's Nam-gu A district, held alongside the ninth nationwide local elections.
With 99.98 percent of ballots counted as of 4:23 a.m. Thursday, Kim had secured 51.15 percent of the vote — 46,543 ballots — outpacing Democratic Party of Korea candidate Jeon Tae-jin, who finished second with 42.62 percent (38,776 votes), a margin of 7,767 votes.
A former judge, Kim served as vice chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and vice chairman of the Korea Communications Commission under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.
He stepped in as acting chairman of the Korea Communications Commission after former chairwoman Lee Jin-suk was suspended from her duties pending an impeachment trial. He resigned last July and joined a law firm in Ulsan.
He formally entered politics last November when the People Power Party appointed him as the party chapter head for Ulsan's Nam-gu A district.
About six months later, he received the party's sole nomination for the Nam-gu A by-election seat, which had become vacant after former lawmaker Kim Sang-uk left to run for Ulsan mayor.
His campaign pledges included supporting the smooth opening of urban rail (tram) Line 1, prioritizing improvements to natural disaster risk zones, building a regional innovation university support system, backing a youth startup launch package, and constructing a national carbon neutrality science museum and a canoe slalom center in Ulsan.
"This victory is ultimately the result of sincerity reaching people," Kim said. "Rather than flashy slogans, I will show you results — getting stalled work moving again and seeing every promise through to the end."
bigroot@heraldcorp.com
