[Politics, On That Day...] 87.5% Election Probability 'Women's Politics Hub' Ilsan

After the 17th General Election to the 20th, 7 out of 8 were female lawmakers... Yu Eun-hye and Kim Hyun-mi 'Not Running', Who Will Be the New Star of the 21st General Election?

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] ‘Politics, That Day…’ is a series planning corner that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to scenes, events, or figures that deserve attention.

On the 3rd, at the National Assembly, Yoo Eun-hye, Minister of Education and a current minister from the Democratic Party of Korea, Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, and Kim Hyun-mi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, are entering the conference room to announce their decision not to run in the 21st general election. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Those preparing to run for the National Assembly election all dream of winning, but the ‘regional constituency wall’ is formidable. In the Seoul metropolitan area, where regionalism influence is relatively weak, ‘nomination = election’ is hard to imagine. The winner emerges after fierce battles among politicians who have diligently cultivated their local constituencies.

It is not easy for female politicians to win in local constituencies. Although voices calling for improvement of the male-centered political culture have increased and female political participation has grown, only a few break through local elections and receive certificates of election. Many female lawmakers still enter the National Assembly through proportional representation elections.

Then, is there any region where female politicians maintain absolute dominance? Goyang City in Gyeonggi Province, which has surpassed a population of one million, especially Ilsan, can be aptly called the ‘number one place for female politics.’ Since the 17th general election in 2004 until the 20th general election in 2016, 7 out of 8 local constituency lawmakers elected from Ilsan were women. This means female politicians won with an 87.5% probability in the Ilsan constituencies.

In the 17th general election, Han Myeong-sook of the Uri Party was elected in Ilsan Gap, and Kim Young-seon of the Hannara Party was elected in Ilsan Eul. In the 18th general election, Kim Young-seon of the Hannara Party was elected in Ilsan Seogu, and Baek Seong-woon of the Hannara Party was elected in Ilsan Donggu. Baek won a fierce contest against Han Myeong-sook of the Unified Democratic Party.

Baek Seong-woon’s victory in the 18th general election was the only male lawmaker’s victory in Ilsan since 2004. At that time, Baek received 47.07%, and Han received 43.83%. However, in the 19th general election, the winner in Ilsan Donggu was again a woman.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the Saenuri Party, Kang Hyun-seok, former mayor of Goyang City, ran but was defeated by Yoo Eun-hye of the Democratic United Party. Yoo received 51.59%, and Kang received 46.09% of the votes.

In Ilsan Seogu, Kim Hyun-mi of the Democratic United Party won against Kim Young-seon of the Saenuri Party. In this area, female lawmakers won in all four recent general elections: the 17th (Kim Young-seon), 18th (Kim Young-seon), 19th (Kim Hyun-mi), and 20th (Kim Hyun-mi).

In the 20th general election, Kim Hyun-mi ran in Goyang City (Ilsan Seogu) and won with 49.15%, defeating Saenuri Party’s Kim Young-seon, who received 36.68%. The face-off between two female politicians, Kim Hyun-mi and Kim Young-seon, continued for three consecutive general elections: the 18th, 19th, and 20th.

In Goyang City Byeong (Ilsan Donggu), a contest was held between former and incumbent local constituency lawmakers. Baek Seong-woon, elected in the 18th general election, ran as the Saenuri Party candidate, and Yoo Eun-hye, the incumbent lawmaker from the Democratic Party, ran as well. The result ended with Yoo Eun-hye’s victory. In the 20th general election, female politicians were elected in both Ilsan constituencies.

Ilsan, one of the representative new towns near Seoul, is a politically conscious area. Politicians with excellent policy and personal competitiveness have an advantage. There are relatively many young office workers commuting to and from Seoul, and communities such as women’s mom cafes, local gatherings, and various volunteer groups are well developed.

On the 3rd, at the National Assembly, Yoo Eun-hye, Minister of Education and a current minister from the Democratic Party of Korea, Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, and Kim Hyun-mi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, are entering the conference room to announce their decision not to run in the 21st general election. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

What is noteworthy is that those elected in Ilsan are proven competitive figures. Yoo Eun-hye, the lawmaker from Ilsan Donggu, faced off against a former Goyang County governor in the 19th general election and a former Goyang City mayor in the 20th general election, winning both times.

Kim Hyun-mi, elected in Ilsan Seogu in the 19th and 20th general elections, also won against former lawmaker Kim Young-seon, who served as the leader of the Hannara Party. This shows that both the winners and challengers were highly competitive.

Yoo Eun-hye was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education in the Moon Jae-in administration. This reflects the degree of trust President Moon Jae-in places in her. Kim Hyun-mi was also appointed Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. She enjoys strong trust from President Moon, to the extent that her name was mentioned as a candidate for Prime Minister and Chief of the Blue House Secretariat.

Will the trend of female politicians’ absolute dominance in Ilsan be repeated in the 21st general election on April 15? An important variable has emerged regarding the Ilsan constituencies. Both Yoo Eun-hye of Ilsan Donggu and Kim Hyun-mi of Ilsan Seogu have put aside their personal political ambitions for the success of the Moon Jae-in administration. On the 3rd, the two female politicians announced they would not run in the 21st general election. This signifies their commitment to faithfully perform the roles assigned to them in their ministerial positions.

Kim Young-seon, who ran four consecutive times in Ilsan, registered as a preliminary candidate for Masanhappo-gu, Jinhae-gu, Gyeongnam ahead of the 21st general election. He plans to continue his political career in a new region after leaving Ilsan. As a result, it is highly likely that the 21st general election in Ilsan Seogu will be held without either politician Kim Hyun-mi or Kim Young-seon.

Ilsan, where female politicians have entered the National Assembly as representatives of the region and actively engaged in legislative activities, will the 21st general election continue the dominance of female politicians? This is another point of interest when looking at the 21st general election.

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