The Mayor of Gwangju () was the head of the local government of Gwangju, South Korea. The mayor was elected to a four-year term.
The office was abolished on 30 June 2026, following the merger of Gwangju with South Jeolla Province into Jeonnam-Gwangju. The then became the successor to the position of Mayor of Gwangju.
List of mayors Appointed mayors (before 1995) From 1945 to 1995, the Mayor of Gwangju was appointed by the President of the Republic of Korea.
Directly elected mayors (1995–present) From 1995 to 2026, under provisions of the revised Local Government Act, the Mayor of Gwangju was elected by direct election.
Political parties
Term Portrait Name Term of office Political party Elected Took office Left office Time in office 1st 1 July 1995 30 June 1998 Democratic →National Congress 1995 2nd Goh Jae-yu 1 July 1998 30 June 2002 National Congress →Millennium Democratic 1998 3rd 1 July 2002 30 June 2010 Millennium Democratic →Democratic ('00) →Democratic ('08) 2002 4th 2006 5th 1 July 2010 30 June 2014 Democratic ('08) →Democratic United →Democratic ('11) →NPAD 2010 6th 1 July 2014 30 June 2018 NPAD →Democratic 2014 7th Lee Yong-seop 1 July 2018 30 June 2022 Democratic 2018 8th Kang Gi-jung 1 July 2022 30 June 2026 Democratic 2022
Elections Source:
1995 1995 Gwangju mayoral election Party # Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic 2 Song Un-jong 469,570 89.71% Democratic Liberal 1 Kim Dong-hwan 53,817 10.28% Total 523,387 100.00% Voter turnout64.82%
1998 1998 Gwangju mayoral election Party # Candidate Votes Percentage National Congress 2 Goh Jae-yu 261,578 67.20% Independent 4 Lee Seung-chae 127,626 32.79% Total 389,204 100.00% Voter turnout45.07%
2002 2002 Gwangju mayoral election Party # Candidate Votes Percentage Millennium Democratic 2 Park Gwang-tae 185,938 46.81% Independent 5 Chung Dong-nyun 107,415 27.04% Grand National 1 Lee Hwan-eui 43,695 11.00% Democratic Labor 3 Park Jong-hyun 29,427 7.40% Independent 6 Chung Ho-sun 20,796 5.23% Independent 4 Chung Koo-sun 9,877 2.48% Total 397,148 100.00% Voter turnout42.31%
2006 2006 Gwangju mayoral election Party # Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic 3 Park Gwang-tae 239,884 51.61% Uri 1 Cho Young-taek 157,756 33.94% Democratic Labor 4 Oh Byung-yoon 48,617 10.46% Grand National 2 Han Young 18,461 3.97% Total 464,718 100.00% Voter turnout46.26%
2010 2010 Gwangju mayoral election Party # Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic 2 Kang Woon-tae 297,003 56.73% Participation 8 Chung Chan-yong 75,830 14.48% Grand National 1 Chung Yong-hwa 74,490 14.22% Democratic Labor 5 Chang Won-seop 39,455 7.53% New Progressive 7 Yoon Nan-sil 30,834 5.89% Peace Democratic 9 Cho Hong-kyu 5,871 1.12% Total 523,483 100.00% Voter turnout49.76%
2014 2014 Gwangju mayoral election Party # Candidate Votes Percentage NPAD 2 Yoon Jang-hyun 367,203 57.85% Independent 5 Kang Woon-tae 201,666 31.77% Saenuri 1 Lee Jung-jae 21,614 3.40% Unified Progressive 3 Yoon Min-ho 21,200 3.34% Independent 7 Lee Byung-wan 16,249 2.56% Labor 4 Lee Byung-hoon 6,785 1.06% Total 634,717 100.00% Voter turnout57.10%
2018 2018 Gwangju mayoral election Party # Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic 1 Lee Yong-seop 573,995 84.07% Justice 5 Na Gyung-che 40,916 5.99% Bareunmirae 3 Jeon Duk-young 34,487 5.05% Minjung 6 Yoon Min-ho 33,312 4.87% Total 682,710 100.00% Voter turnout59.22%
2022 2022 Gwangju mayoral election Party # Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic 1 Kang Gi-jung 334,699 74.91% People Power 2 Joo Ki-hwan 71,062 15.90% Justice 3 Jang Yeun-ju 21,070 4.71% Progressive 5 Kim Ju-eop 16,595 3.71% Basic Income 4 Moon Hyeon-chul 3,344 0.74% Total 446,770 100.00% Voter turnout37.66%
See also Government of South Korea Politics of South Korea
References