Kim Soo-young (politician)

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Kim Soo-young
김수영
Mayor of Yangcheon District
Assumed office
1 July 2014
Preceded byChoo Jae-yup
Personal details
Born (1964-12-05) 5 December 1964 (age 59)
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materEwha Womans University
Sogang University
Soongsil University

Kim Soo-young (Korean김수영; Hanja金水英; born 5 December 1964) is a South Korean politician who served as Mayor of Yangcheon District in Seoul and its first woman mayor from July 2014 to June of 2022.[1]

From 2006 to 2008, she worked as the first head of Siheung's women's job center run by Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

From 2012 to 2014 Kim was the adjunct professor of social welfare at Soongsil University.[2][3]

Education[edit]

Kim holds three degrees - a bachelor in Korean language from Ewha Womans University, a master's in social welfare policy from Sogang University and a doctorate in social welfare from Soongsil University.[4]

Political career[edit]

Kim was the president of student union of Ewha Womans University in late 1980s and imprisoned for student activism against authoritarian regime of Chun Doo-hwan.[5][3] She then worked as a member of pro-democracy student organisation supportive of Kim Dae-jung's presidential candidacy.

She took multiple roles in her party such as a member of human rights committee of Kim Dae-jung's third presidential campaign in 1992, a director of Women's Affairs Bureau of her party, then-Uri Party, from 2004 to 2006 and vice president of Women's leadership centre of her party, then-New Politics Alliance for Democracy.[6]

Mayor of Yangcheon District[edit]

In 2011 Kim ran for Mayor of Yangcheon against Choo Jae-yup (Korean추재엽) in the by-election held after her husband and then-mayor, Lee Jae-hak (Korean이제학), was sentenced guilty by the Supreme Court for spreading lies about Choo, then the opposing candidate, during campaign.[5][7] In 2013 Choo who has served as Mayor of Yangcheon three times non-consecutively was removed from the post after the Supreme Court sentenced him guilty for Perjury during Lee's trial and breaking election law [8] after it is reasonable to believe Lee's "lie" that Choo actually waterboarded people while working for Army Counterintelligence Corps.[9]

In an interview, she said she had dreamed of becoming an elected official of local government and then member of the National Assembly and would have run for elected post regardless of her marriage.[3]

In 2014, Kim ran for Mayor again and won becoming the only woman among 20 democratic mayors in Seoul and the first woman to lead Yangcheon.[10]

In 2018, Kim became the first Yangcheon mayor to be elected twice consecutively.[3] She is also the first woman from her party or its preceding parties to be elected twice for head of local government in South Korea.[11]

Electoral history[edit]

Election Year Post Party Affiliation Votes Percentage of votes Results
By-election 2011 Mayor of Yangcheon District Democratic Party (2008) 74,514 38.54% Lost
6th Local Election 2014 Mayor of Yangcheon District New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) 111,738 47.90% Won
7th Local Election 2018 Mayor of Yangcheon District Democratic Party 143,583 61.0% Won

References[edit]

  1. ^ "양천구 '첫 여성'·강서구 '첫 연임' 구청장 탄생". danmee.chosun.com (in Korean). Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  2. ^ "[당선인 프로필]김수영 양천구청장". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 14 June 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "양천형 찾동·나비남 프로젝트…복지 사각지대 좁히기 보람". www.seouland.com (in Korean). Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  4. ^ "김수영 :: 네이버 인물검색". people.search.naver.com. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b "김수영 서울 양천구청장 당선자 "여보, 당신 恨 풀었어" 남편 이어 구청장으로".
  6. ^ "[인터뷰]김수영 양천구청장 '30년 미래 좌우할 '개발과 성장' 시작됐다'". 뉴스1 (in Korean). 1 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  7. ^ "이제학 양천구청장 당선무효형 확정". Naver News (in Korean). Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  8. ^ "추재엽 양천구청장 실형 확정 '당선 무효'". m.lawtimes.co.kr (in Korean). 26 April 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  9. ^ "3선 구청장은 '고춧가루 물 고문' 했던 기술자". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). 11 October 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  10. ^ "김수영 더불어민주당 양천구청장 후보 선거사무소 개소". 시정일보 (in Korean). 20 May 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  11. ^ "'스윙보트' 양천구서 김수영, 첫 재선 구청장으로… 3선 국회의원 정장선, 체급 낮춰 평택시장 당선". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). 14 June 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2020.