Third time lucky for a candidate determined to disrupt the young democracy’s two-party system
South Korea’s Green Party has won its first-ever local council seat in the mid-eastern city of Andong. Huh Seungkyu was elected last month in his third attempt since 2018; his victory is being celebrated for breaking the political monopoly in his hometown. In a piece for the Korean weekly currently affairs magazine Hankyoreh 21, journalist Kim Kyu-nam traces his historic rise to power.
Andong is a city known for its traditional culture and UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the 600-year-old Hahoe Folk Village. The city is also known as the “holy land of conservatism”, according to the article, and is strongly influenced by traditional clan-based politics. For years it has been dominated by the right-wing People Power Party, which was led by Yoon Suk Yeol – the former President who infamously declared martial law in late 2024, throwing the country into chaos. He has since been sentenced to a life in prison for insurrection, among other charges.
The piece begins with Huh entering the local seniors’ centre a few days after the June 3 elections, where he is greeted with rapturous applause from residents. “He’s always on the site whenever we have an event,” 66-year-old Lee Dae-nam told Hankyoreh 21.
Voters say Huh’s consistent presence in the community is what won him the election. Born and raised in Andong, Huh went to college in the capital Seoul and came back to his hometown after graduation. Over the last eight years of his political career, his “community-based green politics” have earned him the title of “everyone’s politician”.
Huh has served on the neighbourhood welfare committee and the voluntary crime prevention squad. He joined a Zumba women’s dance program, he says, as a way to connect with residents and listen to their complaints – including a foul odour from a nearby pig farm, which he resolved through strengthening supervision on emissions.
Last year, when more than 700 families in Andong lost their homes in devastating wildfires, Huh devoted himself to volunteering at temporary shelters and helping to coordinate relief efforts with other regions. “He gained our trust through his hard work,” said Lee, another resident.
South Korea only became a democracy in the late 1980s, and its politics have long been dominated by two-parties: the Democratic Party and the People Power Party. For years, Huh repeatedly heard from voters: “You’re a great guy, if only you weren’t in the Green Party.” During the 2022 elections, the People Power Party offered him a candidacy for the North Gyeongsang Provincial Council, which he declined. The Green Party in Andong has grown from five members in 2016, to more than 70 today.
A strong advocate for ecologism, Huh aims to institutionalise his vision of a “Green City Andong” by introducing free bus passes for youth and promoting local food initiatives to boost the regional economy, as well as cutting down transport costs and pollution.
“We must rebuild the strongholds of green politics from the local grassroots up. The macroeconomic, global vision in our party platform must be brought down to local, tangible action,” said Huh.
The original article ‘허승규가 닦은 푸른 길에 안동이 물들다’ was first published in Korean by Kim Kyu-Nam for Hankyoreh 21 on June 11, 2026
Hankyoreh 21 is a weekly current affairs magazine based in Seoul. It is part of the Hankyoreh company, which publishes a daily newspaper with the historic aim of democratizing South Korea.
