Oh Shin-haeng’s campaign poster for the eighth nationwide local elections in 2022 / Yonhap
A young Korean man who once sought to become the country’s youngest local council member is now preparing to debut as an idol in Japan.
Oh Shin-haeng, who drew national attention four years ago when he ran in the local elections as an independent candidate at age 18, finished fourth in the Japanese audition show “Produce 101 Japan Shinsekai” on June 9. The result earned him a place in the program’s final group and a chance to begin a new career as a Japanese idol.
In 2022, Oh became the youngest candidate in Korean history to run for elected office after a revision to the Public Official Election Act lowered the minimum age for candidates from 25 to 18. The change applied to elections for the National Assembly, heads of local governments and local councils.
Then 18, Oh ran for a seat representing Muan County Council’s second electoral district in South Jeolla Province in the first local elections held under the revised law. However, he finished last with 990 votes, or 5.88 percent of the vote. All four seats in the district went to candidates from the Democratic Party of Korea.
