Park Chan-dae of the Democratic Party of Korea was elected the new Incheon mayor. Park clinched victory in the local elections held on the 3rd, defeating incumbent Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of the People Power Party by 6.78 percentage points (p).
Park was born in Incheon in 1967 and graduated from Dongincheon High School, Inha University, and the graduate school of Seoul National University. He passed the Korean certified public accountant exam in 1997 and the U.S. certified public accountant exam in 1999.
After working at Saedong Accounting Corporation and Samil Accounting Corporation, he moved to the Financial Supervisory Service's Disclosure and Accounting Supervision Bureau, where he oversaw systems for the macroeconomy and the asset market. He later founded Hanmi Accounting Corporation.
While on a steady path as an accounting firm entrepreneur, Park began civic group activities in 2009 following the death of President Roh Moo-hyun. The late president's injunction, "The last bastion of democracy is the organized power of awake citizens," is said to have influenced him.
He joined the Democratic Party in 2012, and in the 20th general election in 2016, he ran in Incheon Yeonsu-gu Gap, long called a "tough district for progressives," and won.
He went on to win three consecutive terms and served as a supreme council member of the Democratic Party, floor leader, and acting party leader.
On Dec. 3, 2024, when then-President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, he and fellow lawmakers climbed over the National Assembly wall and entered the chamber. He led party lawmakers to introduce and pass the "resolution demanding the lifting of martial law" as the lead sponsor, and also introduced an impeachment bill against President Yoon Suk-yeol to protect constitutional order. Having solidified his leadership within the party during this process, he threw his hat in the ring for party leader but could not overcome the wall posed by rival leader Jung Chung-rae.
After swallowing the bitter pill of defeat, he took on a new challenge by running for Incheon mayor and won the honor of election.