Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
Choo Mi-ae breaks gender barrier again as Korea's 1st female governor
Choo Mi-ae, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate for governor of Gyeonggi Province, celebrates with a bouquet of flowers at her campaign office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday, after her victory in the local elections becomes clear. Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
Ruling party candidate elected to lead Gyeonggi Province
Choo Mi-ae, a ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate who has repeatedly shattered gender barriers throughout her career, broke new ground again, as she was elected governor of Gyeonggi Province in the local elections, Wednesday.
Choo garnered 55.04 percent of the vote, defeating the main opposition People Power Party's (PPP)'s Yang Hyang-ja who received 39.37 percent, in a rare all-female contest between the rival parties.
The historic contest drew nationwide attention, as either candidate's win would have marked the first time a woman was elected to lead a provincial or metropolitan government in Korea.
The victory marks another milestone in Choo’s career, which has been defined by a series of trailblazing achievements for a woman across the legislative, executive and judicial branches.
Among those achievements are becoming the first female judge elected to the National Assembly, the first woman to serve six terms in parliament and the first elected female leader of a ruling party.
She served as a judge for 10 years until 1995, when she entered politics after being recruited by Kim Dae-jung, who was leading the main opposition liberal party at the time and was elected president in 1997.
First elected to the National Assembly in 1996, Choo served six terms over the next 30 years before resigning from her seat earlier this year to run for the Gyeonggi governorship.
During her parliamentary career, she became the DPK's first female leader, holding the post from 2016 to 2018.
Yang Hyang-ja, center, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) candidate for governor of Gyeonggi Province, speaks about her campaign pledges for the June 3 local elections at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Beyond these records, Choo has earned a reputation for strong leadership and determination.
In the 1997 presidential election, she played a key role in campaigning for Kim, earning the nickname "Choo-d'Arc" in a nod to the French heroine Joan of Arc.
The nickname gained wider recognition in 2004, when she took a firm stance during a major split within the ruling party over the impeachment of then-President Roh Moo-hyun.
As DPK leader, Choo helped steer the party through the political crisis that led to the impeachment and removal of then-President Park Geun-hye in 2017 over a corruption scandal.
She served as justice minister from 2020 to 2021 under then-President Moon Jae-in, a tenure she described as having "laid the foundation for prosecutorial reform that will go down in history."
During the June 3 election campaign, Choo reflected on her trailblazing achievements, saying, "The possibilities and choices available in our society have expanded accordingly."
She noted that her "first woman" experiences should not be the defining feature of her leadership, saying the real task is not to rest on symbolic titles but to solve the problems that directly affect the daily lives of Gyeonggi residents.
With 14.2 million people, Gyeonggi Province is the country's most populous region.
As a key campaign pledge, Choo has promised to introduce free public transportation for anyone aged 6 to 18.
She has also outlined four major policy priorities — transportation innovation, the creation of a defense industry cluster in the northern part of the province, the completion of the semiconductor cluster and the advancement of artificial intelligence innovation.
Meanwhile, Choo's PPP rival, Yang, is a former Samsung Electronics executive widely known for her rise from vocational high school graduate to become the tech giant's first female executive without a college degree.
She entered politics in 2016 as a DPK member and went on to serve in the National Assembly from 2020 to 2024.
She later changed party affiliations, leaving the DPK for the minor center-right Reform Party before eventually joining the PPP in 2025.