Jo Sang-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea was elected Sejong special self-governing city mayor. In the local elections held on the 3rd, Jo won 61.03% of the vote, comfortably beating Choi Min-ho of the People Power Party, who received 36.01%.
Born in 1970, Jo entered politics as an aide to National Assembly member Lee Hwa-young. He later worked as a chief of staff to National Assembly member Lee Hae-chan, served as chief secretary to then-Sejong Mayor Lee Chun-hee in 2014, and was subsequently promoted to senior political affairs adviser.
In 2018, when Lee Hae-chan was elected leader of the Democratic Party, Jo served as head of the party leader's political coordination office.
After former Sejong vice mayor for political affairs Lee Kang-jin, who had been working in step with Mayor Lee Chun-hee, ran for the general election, Mayor Lee rehired former adviser Jo as Sejong vice mayor for political affairs, bringing him back to Sejong.
In the 2022 local elections, he advanced to the Democratic Party primary for Sejong mayor and competed against Mayor Lee, whom he had assisted. He was eliminated in the primary at the time, but his rival, Mayor Lee Chun-hee, lost to Choi Min-ho of the People Power Party and failed to win a third term.
In the Democratic Party primary held ahead of this local election, he also competed with former Mayor Lee Chun-hee, and the party selected Jo as its final candidate for Sejong mayor.
At a victory press conference at Sejong City Hall that day, Jo said, "I will fully heed the citizens' solemn will to complete Sejong as the administrative capital," adding, "I will make Sejong the central city of Korea."
As a campaign pledge in this election, Jo said he would grow Sejong into a transportation-centered city by establishing KTX Sejong Jungang Station and by consolidation of ITX and CTX. He also promised to attract a national university and the Korea National University of Arts, create 5,000 youth jobs, and build 1,000 units of basic housing for young people.