Kim Se-hun, the newly elected chief of Hwacheon-gun, lays flowers and burns incense at the Chungnyeol Tower in Hwacheon-eup on Thursday, his first official engagement after his election victory was confirmed.
Kim Se-hun, the newly elected chief of Hwacheon-gun, lays flowers and burns incense at the Chungnyeol Tower in Hwacheon-eup on Thursday, his first official engagement after his election victory was confirmed.

Kim Se-hun of the Democratic Party, elected as the new chief of Hwacheon-gun on Thursday, visited the Chungnyeol Tower in Hwacheon-eup as his first official engagement after winning the race.

Kim secured 7,944 votes, or 57.36 percent of valid ballots cast, comfortably defeating People Power Party candidate Choe Myeong-su, who received 5,903 votes, or 42.63 percent. Kim will begin serving as the ninth directly elected chief of Hwacheon-gun on July 1.

In the Gangwon Province mayoral and county chief elections, the Democratic Party swept four of the five border county seats, with only Cheorwon going to a People Power Party candidate — and by a razor-thin margin of 231 votes.

The results have raised expectations for peace-driven economic development across the five border counties, including Hwacheon.

The Hwacheon-gun Election Commission presented Kim with his certificate of election at Hwacheon Gymnasium following the completion of vote counting in the ninth nationwide simultaneous local elections.

A certificate-of-election ceremony is held for local election winners in Hwacheon-gun.
A certificate-of-election ceremony is held for local election winners in Hwacheon-gun.

At the ceremony, certificates were also presented to Park Dae-hyeon, the newly elected Gangwon Provincial Assembly member, along with county assembly members-elect Kim Eun-gyeong, Choe Ho-gi, Kim Dong-wan, Park Jin-cheon and Kim Myeong-jin. Certificates for members-elect Jo Ung-hui and Lee Seon-hui were to be issued at a later date.


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