Yoo Jeong-bok (; born 17 June 1957) is a South Korean public servant and politician who served as the mayor of

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2018.

Life

Yoo Jeong-bok was born on 17 June 1957, in Songrim-dong of Dong District, Incheon. His parents were

Internally displaced person An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. A ...

from Cheongdan area,

Hwanghae Province Hwanghae Province (''Hwanghae-do'' ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon era. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju. The regional name for the province was Haeseo. History In 139 ...

He passed the civil service exam in his last year of college. After serving in the military, he became a public servant. In 1994, he was appointed a mayor of

Gimpo County Gimpo () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Incheon, with which it shares the South Korean side of the Han River estuary, as well as Seoul and the lesser cities of Paju and Goyang. North Korea is across the Han River. The c ...

. He agreed absorption of Geomdan Myeon into Incheon and appointed as a mayor of

Seo District, Incheon Seo District (Seo-gu) is the largest district in Incheon, South Korea. It has an area , and it has the largest area of farmland in Incheon. In the past, Seo-gu was part of 'Buk-gu'. In 1988, a part of the ward was separated to form 'Seo-gu'. His ...

, which absorbed Geomdan Myeon. In 1995, South Korea expanded local autonomy. He resigned to run for 1995 South Korean local elections and elected as a mayor of Gimpo County. In 1998, Gimpo County was promoted to Gimpo city. He served two terms for Mayor of Gimpo. After the loss in

2002 South Korean local elections The 3rd Local Elections were held in South Korea on 13 June 2002. The ruling Millennium Democratic Party was defeated by the opposition Grand National Party, only controlled Gwangju, Jeolla and Jeju. Metropolitan city mayoral elections Seoul ...

, he was elected as a member of the National Assembly to represent

Gimpo Gimpo () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Incheon, with which it shares the South Korean side of the Han River estuary, as well as Seoul and the lesser cities of Paju and Goyang. North Korea is across the Han River. The cu ...

three times since 2004. In 2014, he resigned his seat in the National Assembly to run for

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

and elected. He lost in 2018 election but he was elected in 2022. On 31 August 2022, he announced administrative reorganization plans for Incheon. Geomdan will become a new separate District from Seo District. Old downtown area of Jung District and Dong District District will be merged into

Jemulpo District Jemulpo District (Jemulpo-gu, ko, 제물포구; 濟物浦區) is a proposed ward of the city of Incheon, South Korea, Jemulpo-gu is located in a historic center of Incheon. Jemulpo was founded in 1883 on the opening of the Jemulpo Port and cont ...

and

Yeongjong-Yongyu Yeongjong-Yongyu(영종용유, 永宗龍游) is a region in Jung District, Incheon. It encompass Yeongjongdo and adjacent islands such as Muuido except Bukdo-myeon, Ongjin County, Incheon. The island is an exclave of Incheon Metropolitan City's J ...

will be an independent Yeongjong District. Mayors of Jung, Dong and Seo District agreed this proposal.

References

1957 births Living people People from Incheon Yonsei University alumni Seoul National University alumni Members of the National Assembly (South Korea) Ministers of Agriculture of South Korea Interior ministers of South Korea People Power Party (South Korea) politicians Mayors of Incheon {{Korea-bio-stub