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High school student enters race for Gimhae city council as youngest candidate nationwide

Published: 25 Mar. 2026, 16:52 Updated: 25 Mar. 2026, 18:10

A profile photo of Kim Tae-hoon, the candidate for Gimhae's city council in South Gyeongsang [SCREEN CAPTURE]

An 18-year-old high school student — the youngest candidate nationwide — has entered the race for a seat on the Gimhae city council in South Gyeongsang for the upcoming June 3 local elections.

Kim Tae-hoon, a third-year high school student and student council president at Changwon Daesan High School, registered as a preliminary candidate for the Democratic Party in the Gimhae city council race, according to the National Election Commission on Wednesday.

Kim is the only teenager among the 39 preliminary candidates registered so far.

Born in February 2008, Kim is running in the constituency that includes Jinyeong-eup and Hallim-myeon.

He previously served as an honorary member of the State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee under the Lee Jae Myung administration and is currently a member of the Democratic Party’s South Gyeongsang education committee.

Kim said his decision to run was driven by his interest in policy for the youth.

“I’ve had opportunities to engage with youth-related issues, but many of them weren’t reflected in actual policy,” he said. “As Gimhae is a child-friendly city, I want to pursue politics that better represent young people in the community.”

He added that political awareness among his peers has grown since former President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on Dec. 3, 2024.

“More of my friends are paying attention to politics and learning about local councils,” he said. “With their support, I want to help create policies that reflect the needs of young people.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]