"As Seoul's first female three-term local government head, I will stay true to my original convictions and walk the right path," Kim said.
Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kim Mi-kyung won the Eunpyeong-gu district mayor race Thursday, capturing 61.16 percent of the vote with 99.97 percent of ballots counted.
The victory makes Kim the first woman in Seoul's history to serve three terms as a local government head. She also finished second in vote share among candidates across all 25 of the city's autonomous districts, securing another four-year term leading Eunpyeong-gu.
As her win became certain, her campaign headquarters filled with cheering supporters and residents despite the late hour. Taking the stage, Kim bowed in gratitude. "I sincerely thank the residents of Eunpyeong-gu, my campaign committee and party members for giving me the chance to serve four more years," she said. She introduced her parents, who she said had anxiously followed every election she had contested. Her father, Kim Yong-jin, stepped onto the stage and drew an emotional response from the crowd. "I am deeply grateful to everyone who worked so hard during the campaign," he said.
Kim then pledged to get straight to work, outlining a concrete vision for her next term. "Over the next four years, with a more mature outlook and stronger resolve, I will build the Eunpyeong that residents want," she said. "I will look after the lives of 450,000 residents, improve transportation links and plant growth engines across five residential zones to lead Eunpyeong into unprecedented development."
Reflecting on her historic title as Seoul's first three-term female district chief, Kim said, "The path I walk has now become a path others will follow," adding that she would hold even more firmly to her original convictions and principles.
A special ceremony marked the occasion. Youth who had aged out of the foster care system — the same young people who had written words of encouragement on Kim's blue sneakers at her first candidacy announcement — inscribed new messages of support on a pair of ivory sneakers. The gesture expressed her commitment to governing for all residents regardless of political affiliation and to pursuing unity in the district.
"I will take to heart the feelings of residents who made a different choice in this election and respond with a more inclusive administration," Kim said. She also extended words of consolation to her opponent, Nam Ki-jung, for running a fair and spirited campaign.
Kim previously served two terms each as a district council member and a Seoul Metropolitan Council member in Eunpyeong before winning the district mayor's seat twice. She also became the first sitting basic local government head appointed as a spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, establishing a presence on the national political stage.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
