Kim Gi-hyeon (

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

: 김기현, born 21 February 1959) is a South Korean lawyer and politician who served as the

Mayor of Ulsan The Mayor of Ulsan () is the head of the local government of Ulsan who is elected to a four-year term. List of mayors Appointed mayors (before 1995) From 1945 to 1995, the Mayor of Ulsan was appointed by the President of the Republic of Kore ...

from 2014 to 2018. He was the acting President of the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

People Power Party (PPP) from 30 April to 11 June 2021.

Career

Kim Gi-hyeon was born in Sanha-ri, Gangdong-myeon,

Ulju Ulju County ( ko, 울주군; Hanja: 蔚州郡; ''Ulju-gun'') is a county occupying much of western Ulsan, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Kor ...

, South Gyeongsang (now Gangdong-dong, North District,

Ulsan Ulsan (), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring ...

) in 1959. He is the 4th of 6 children of Kim Byung-geuk, the former Member of the South Gyeongsang Legislative Assembly from

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

. He attended to Busan East High School before studying law at Seoul National University. After qualifying for the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1983, he worked in various non-governmental organisations i.e. Director of

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

. He was appointed the deputy spokesperson of the

Grand National Party The Liberty Korea Party () was a conservative political party in South Korea that was described variously as right-wing, right-wing populist, or far-right. Until February 2017, it was known as the Saenuri Party (), and before that as the Hanna ...

(GNP) in 2003. In 2004, he ran for South District 2nd constituency and was elected. He was re-elected in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

. On 12 April 2014, he contested

Saenuri The Liberty Korea Party () was a conservative political party in South Korea that was described variously as right-wing, right-wing populist, or far-right. Until February 2017, it was known as the Saenuri Party (), and before that as the Ha ...

preselection Preselection is the process by which a candidate is selected, usually by a political party, to contest an election for political office. It is also referred to as candidate selection. It is a fundamental function of political parties. The presele ...

for Ulsan mayorship and defeated Kang Ghil-boo. He resigned his parliamentary membership on 5 May in order to register his candidacy. On

4 June Events Pre-1600 * 1411 – King Charles VI granted a monopoly for the ripening of Roquefort cheese to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon as they had been doing for centuries. * 1561 – The steeple of St Paul's, the medieval cathe ...

, he received 65.42% and defeated the

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

candidate Jo Seung-soo. Following the election, Kim had showed his intention to run for the 2017 election, comparing an example of

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

, the former Governor of Arkansas who was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

. Following the political scandal in 2016, he was expected to leave his party, but confirmed to remain. In 2018, Kim was again nominated the Ulsan Mayor candidate for the 2018 local elections. Initially, he led on some polls due to his high popularity. Nevertheless, he then came behind to the Democratic candidate Song Cheol-ho. On 13 June, he finally lost to the Democratic candidate. On 29 January 2020, Kim launched his bid for the 2020 election. He contested UFP

for South District 2nd constituency and defeated Park Maeng-woo. On 30 April 2021, Kim was elected the new parliamentary leader of the People Power Party (PPP), defeating

Kim Tae-heum Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese fo ...

Kweon Seong-dong Kweon Seong-dong (Korean: 권성동, born 29 April 1960) is a South Korean lawyer and politician. A member of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), he has been the Member of Parliament for Gangneung since 2009. Before entering politics, ...

and Yu Eui-dong. He also served as the acting party President until

Lee Jun-seok Jun-seok Andy Lee (; born 31 March 1985) is a South Korean politician who served as party leader of the conservative People Power Party. Lee entered politics as a relatively young member of the Park Geun-hye presidential administration, d ...

was elected the new president on 11 June. He resigned as the parliamentary leader on 3 January 2022, but returned to the position 3 days later. On 29 March, he made his resignation without coming back to the position, in order to refurbish the party leadership.

Ideology

His political position is described as

Conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

within the context of South Korean politics. While as an MP, he was a member of South Korean centrist groups within the

(GNP). He is a pro- Lee Myung-bak. He is critical of the welfare system.

Personal life

He married Lee Sun-ae and has a son and a daughter.

Election results

General elections

Local elections

Mayor of
Ulsan Ulsan (), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Gi-hyeon 1959 births Living people 20th-century South Korean lawyers 21st-century South Korean lawyers Mayors of places in South Korea Liberty Korea Party politicians Seoul National University School of Law alumni People from Ulsan Members of the National Assembly (South Korea) 21st-century South Korean politicians People Power Party (South Korea) politicians South Korean judges