![Singer From Twenty (Kim Rae-hwan) and his father, Gangneung Mayor-elect Kim Jung-nam. [Newsis/SNS]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/04/news-p.v1.20260604.7c2680ba6dfe44d9a2d55dc3d8c8db35_P1.png)
Kim Jung-nam of the Democratic Party of Korea made history Thursday by becoming the first Democratic-affiliated candidate elected mayor of Gangneung in the 9th nationwide local elections — and the victory has drawn attention to his son, singer From Twenty, whose real name is Kim Rae-hwan, 34.
According to the National Election Commission, Kim Jung-nam secured 52.23 percent of the vote, or 51,312 ballots, defeating People Power Party candidate Kim Hong-gyu, who received 41.54 percent, or 40,813 votes.
The win marks the first time a progressive candidate has led Gangneung in 31 years, since the 1995 local elections.
As his victory became clear in the early hours of Thursday, Kim Jung-nam told supporters he would work alongside citizens to build "a Gangneung where residents are in charge, a Gangneung where young people come back, and a Gangneung that stands tall as the center of the East Coast."
He then posed for a photo in front of cameras, with From Twenty standing right beside him, beaming.
A Gangneung native, Kim Jung-nam graduated from Gangneung High School and Gangwon National University before completing a doctoral program in public administration at Gangneung-Wonju National University. He has served as secretary-general of the Gangneung City Hall employee council, chairman of the Korean Government Employees' Union, regional chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea in Gangneung, and deputy chairman of the party's special committee on drought and water shortages in Gangwon Province's Yeongdong region.
From Twenty, known as the mayor-elect's youngest son, threw himself into the campaign — shooting behind-the-scenes vlogs and posting a photo with his father captioned "Dad, I love you."
He had done the same when Kim Jung-nam ran in the April 2024 National Assembly election, producing promotional content and sharing it on his social media accounts. This time, he tagged his father in posts he labeled "the youngest son's campaign set-log."
The activity drew hostile comments from some far-right users on his social media pages, but he continued his support regardless.
From Twenty debuted in 2012 as a member of the group Big Star. After the group disbanded, he returned in 2021 as a solo singer-songwriter and has been releasing music since.
yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com
