Lee Nak-yeon vs. Hwang Kyo-ahn... 'Historic Big Match' Set in Jongno

Both Candidates Have a Special Connection with Jongno

In the April 15 general election, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon (left) of the Democratic Party of Korea and Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty Korea Party, faced off in Jongno, known as the "number one political district in South Korea."
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Jin-young] On the 7th, Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty Korea Party, declared his candidacy for Jongno, setting up an 'unprecedented big match' with former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon.

In the 'political number one district,' which could influence the overall landscape of the general election, the top presidential candidates from both ruling and opposition parties are facing off, risking their political careers.

This is also an unprecedented event where two former prime ministers compete in the same constituency in a general election.

Hwang, the 44th Prime Minister who served as the last prime minister under the Park Geun-hye administration and as acting president, and Lee, the 45th Prime Minister and the first prime minister under the Moon Jae-in administration, are the candidates.

At a press conference held the previous afternoon at the Liberty Korea Party Central Party Office in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, Hwang said, “I declare my candidacy for the Jongno constituency. The decision process was careful, but now that it is decided, I will move forward like a bull and definitely win.”

Immediately after Hwang’s announcement, former Prime Minister Lee stated, “I look forward to a fair competition for the future of Jongno and the Republic of Korea.”

◆ The first-ever face-off between former prime ministers in the political number one district

Jongno, known as the political number one district, is the constituency that has produced the most presidents.

Former Presidents Yun Bo-seon, Roh Moo-hyun, and Lee Myung-bak were elected from Jongno.

Notably, in the 15th general election in 1996, candidates Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Myung-bak faced off in Jongno.

However, at that time, neither candidate was considered a presidential hopeful.

But former Prime Minister Lee and leader Hwang are 'potential presidential candidates' competing for the next presidency.

They also carry symbolic significance as the first prime minister under the Moon Jae-in administration and the last prime minister under the Park Geun-hye administration, respectively.

If they win the general election, they could become the fourth president produced by Jongno.

◆ Both Lee Nak-yeon and Hwang Kyo-ahn have ties to Jongno

Both former Prime Minister Lee and leader Hwang have long-standing ties to Jongno.

Both candidates lived in Samcheong-dong, where the prime minister’s official residence is located.

Lee, the longest-serving prime minister, lived in Samcheong-dong for 2 years and 8 months from June 2017 to January 2020, while Hwang resided there for 1 year and 11 months from June 2015 to May 2017.

Both Christians, they attended Samcheong Methodist Church near the prime minister’s residence during their terms.

Before becoming prime ministers, both attended Sinbanpo Central Church.

They also share the commonality of spending their school years in Jongno.

Lee attended Seoul National University Law School when it was located on the Yeongeon campus in Jongno-gu.

Before entering politics, Lee worked for over 20 years at the Dong-A Ilbo, which is also located in Jongno-gu.

During his early years as a newspaper reporter, he boarded in Hyoja-dong, Jongno-gu, and even after marriage, he lived in Jongno-gu until moving to Gangnam in 1994.

On the 15th of last month, Lee told reporters, “Jongno is the place where I lived the most during my youth, so I have many memories. For a country boy, living in Jongno was like a dream. My youth’s traces are in Hyoja-dong, Buam-dong, Pyeongchang-dong, Changsin-dong, Sinmun-ro, and the reading rooms of Samcheong-dong.”

Hwang, a graduate of Kyunggi High School and Sungkyunkwan University Law School, also spent his school years in Jongno-gu.

He attended Kyunggi High School when it was located at the current site of Jeongdok Library before moving to Samseong-dong in Gangnam-gu, and after retaking the college entrance exam, he entered Sungkyunkwan University in Myeongnyun-dong.

Hwang’s camp is also expecting support from university juniors living near Sungkyunkwan University.

At the press conference immediately after declaring his candidacy for Jongno, Hwang said, “Jongno is the land of hope where I nurtured my dreams from high school through university. Every tree-lined street and every alley is soaked with memories of my childhood and youth.”

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