Three Female Ministers Not Running Leave 'Vacant Territory' in Guro-eul, Goyang-byeong, and Goyang-jeong... Who Will Take Them?

Park Young-sun's third consecutive term in Guro-eul, 'Pro-Moon Core' Yoon Gun-young likely to run as Blue House National Situation Room Chief
Kim Hyun-mi's Goyang-jeong, Korean Party's Kim Hyun-ah targeted nomination moves
Yoo Eun-hye's Goyang-byeong, Korean Party's Lee Dong-hwan and Justice Party's Park Soo-taek mentioned

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mi (from left), Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hae, and Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Sun-young are tearing up as they announce their decision not to run in the April 15 general election at the Democratic Party of Korea's party leader meeting room in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 3rd.
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Jin-young] Three members of the Democratic Party of Korea who are concurrently serving as ministers?Park Young-sun (Seoul Guro-eul, 4 terms), Kim Hyun-mi (Gyeonggi Goyang-jeong, 3 terms), and Yoo Eun-hye (Gyeonggi Goyang-byeong, 2 terms)?declared on the 3rd that they will not run in the 21st general election, drawing attention to their now vacant constituencies.

Seoul Guro-eul, where Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, has consecutively won three terms in the 18th to 20th general elections, is an electoral district that includes Sindorim-dong, Guro 1-dong, Guro 2-dong, Guro 3-dong, Guro 4-dong, Guro 5-dong, and Garibong-dong in the eastern part of Guro-gu.

Before Minister Park took charge of the constituency, the Democratic Party had consistently won five consecutive elections from the 16th to the 20th general elections, making it a stronghold for the Democratic Party.

Minister Park received 34,783 votes (47.30%) in the 18th general election, 54,902 votes (61.94%) in the 19th general election, and 50,523 votes (54.13%) in the 20th general election.

Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun is announcing her decision not to run in the April 15 general election on the morning of the 3rd at the Democratic Party of Korea's party leader meeting room in Yeouido, Seoul.
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

During this period, the only time the conservative party won was in the by-election held in October 2001.

Jang Young-shin (New Millennium Democratic Party), chairwoman of the Aekyung Group, who was elected in the 16th general election with 48.28% of the vote, was disqualified due to illegal election campaigning involving mobilization of affiliate company employees, leading to a re-election.

Lee Seung-chul, the Hannara Party candidate who lost to Chairwoman Jang in the 16th general election, ran again and won with 49.4% of the vote, defeating Kim Han-gil of the New Millennium Democratic Party, who received 42.8%.

Yoon Gun-young, head of the Blue House National Policy Planning Office, is highly likely to run in Seoul Guro-eul.

Minister Park, who is considering running for the next Seoul mayor, is reportedly welcoming Yoon’s candidacy in Guro-eul.

By handing over the constituency, which she has cultivated for 12 years, to Yoon, a core figure of the pro-Moon faction, she can expect support from the pro-Moon group during the Seoul mayoral primary.

The constituencies of Minister Kim and Deputy Prime Minister Yoo were originally strongholds of candidates affiliated with the Korean Party.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mi is composing herself as she announces her decision not to run in the April 15 general election on the morning of the 3rd at the Democratic Party of Korea's party leader meeting room in Yeouido, Seoul.
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Before Kim and Yoo were elected side by side in the 19th general election, these areas were all held by the Hannara Party.

Kim’s constituency, Ilsan Goyang-jeong, includes Ilsan 1-dong, Ilsan 3-dong, Tanhyeon-dong, Juyop 1-dong, Juyop 2-dong, Daehwa-dong, Songpo-dong, and Songsan-dong in Ilsanseo-gu.

In the 18th and 19th general elections, it was called ‘Ilsanseo-gu,’ but in the 20th general election, Ilsan 2-dong was separated into the Goyang-byeong constituency, and it became Goyang-jeong.

Minister Kim, who entered the 17th National Assembly as a proportional representative of the Uri Party, challenged Ilsan Seo-gu in the 18th general election and received 40,198 votes (41.84%) but lost to Kim Young-sun of the Hannara Party, who received 51,595 votes (53.71%).

In the 19th general election, Kim ran again and won with 63,432 votes (50.64%), defeating Kim Young-sun, who received 57,738 votes (46.09%).

In the 20th general election, after the constituency changed to Goyang-jeong, she recorded 66,959 votes (49.2%), defeating Kim Young-sun of the Saenuri Party, who received 49,970 votes (36.7%), successfully winning a third term.

With Kim Young-sun announcing he will not run, the ruling party currently has no clear candidate.

Former lawmaker Kim, who served three terms including in Ilsan-eul constituency, is also aiming to run in Jinhae, Gyeongnam, leaving Ilsan.

Although Minister Kim has solidified her constituency by winning a second term, recently there has been talk of a ‘Kim Hyun-mi judgment theory,’ indicating the atmosphere is not entirely favorable.

After Minister Kim announced in September last year the construction of the 3rd new town in Changneung-dong, Goyang-si, fierce opposition arose from local residents.

Protests by Ilsan residents opposing the construction of Changneung New Town are still ongoing, and many posts advocating for Minister Kim’s defeat have appeared on internet communities.

The Liberty Korea Party is expected to exploit this local sentiment by targeting Kim Hyun-ah, a real estate expert and proportional representative lawmaker, for nomination.

Kim has opened a local office here and started groundwork for votes.

The Justice Party has mentioned Lee Hong-woo, former secretary-general of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, as a possible candidate.

Eun-Hye Yoo, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, is delivering a New Year's address at the Ministry of Education's opening ceremony held at the Government Complex Sejong on the afternoon of the 2nd.
Photo by Yonhap News

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo’s constituency, Goyang-byeong, is an electoral district combining Ilsandong-gu (Jungsan-dong, Jeongbalsan-dong, Pungsan-dong, Baekseok 1-dong, Baekseok 2-dong, Madu 1-dong, Madu 2-dong, Janghang 1-dong, Janghang 2-dong, Gobong-dong) and Ilsanseo-gu Ilsan 2-dong.

In the 19th general election, Yoo ran in Ilsan Dong-gu and won with 60,236 votes (51.59%), defeating Baek Seong-woon, a former two-term mayor of Goyang from the Saenuri Party.

In the 20th general election, Yoo won re-election with 62,886 votes (47.73%), defeating Baek Seong-woon of the Saenuri Party, who received 47,957 votes (36.4%).

The Democratic Party is reportedly preparing Lee Sang-seong, a former Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly member, as a candidate.

The Korean Party has mentioned Lee Dong-hwan, party committee chairman who ran for Goyang mayor last year, and Kim Mi-hyun, former Goyang city council member, as possible candidates.

The Justice Party is preparing Park Soo-taek, a former SBS environmental reporter who ran for Goyang mayor in the 2018 local elections, as a candidate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.