Sejong Mayor Choi Min-ho on the 6th officially declared a run in the June 3 local elections for a second term.
At a campaign announcement in the city hall briefing room that day, Mayor Choi said, "Sejong is not a political laboratory but the place where citizens' lives have taken root," adding, "I will be a leader who knows the way, a mayor who has answers, and a mayor who puts citizens and the economy first."
Mayor Choi shared the achievements of the past four years. He said, "In a difficult political landscape where support for the Democratic Party was overwhelming, I express deep gratitude to the citizens who chose me solely by looking at 'the person and the vision,'" and added, "For others, it was four years on the calendar, but on my calendar, it was like 40 years."
He went on to say, "We proved Sejong's standing with three consecutive years as the top performer in the nationwide comprehensive administrative evaluation, maintaining the nation's highest birthrate levels, international safe city certification, and designation as a child- and women-friendly city."
Mayor Choi said, "Amid any adversity and pressure, I will stand at the forefront without wavering for the bright tomorrow of Sejong, the administrative capital of the Republic of Korea."
With Mayor Choi's official declaration of candidacy that day, Sejong shifts to an acting-mayor system. Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs Kim Ha-gyun will act with the authority of the mayor.