[Politics, That Day...] Recapturing and Defending Jongno, The Prelude to War is the '2012 General Election'

Interest Focused on Lee Nak-yeon vs. Hwang Kyo-ahn Showdown in Jongno... Conservative Stronghold, Hong Sa-deok vs. Jeong Se-gyun Battle Marks the Beginning of Change

[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 noteworthy scenes, events, and figures.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun visited a cosmetics specialty store on Sinchon Myeongmul Street in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 13th, which is struggling due to the impact of COVID-19, and listened to the difficulties faced by the merchants. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Among the 253 constituencies nationwide in the 21st general election on April 15, the most watched area is undoubtedly Jongno, Seoul. The showdown between former Prime Ministers, the Seoul Jongno general election is essentially a preliminary battle before the presidential election.

It is an election where victory or defeat is inevitable, and there is speculation that one of the candidates will suffer a fatal blow and retire from politics, but it is also possible that both could “win.” Even if someone loses, if they produce meaningful results, it means they can look forward to the future.

Not only the political circles but also the general public are keenly watching which figure will be elected. Is Jongno a tough district for the United Future Party, which inherited the legacy of conservative parties? In fact, Jongno was no different from a stronghold of conservative parties.

Even when the Uri Party achieved a majority of 152 seats nationwide in the 17th general election in 2004, Jongno ended with a victory for the Hannara Party. Then, where is the starting point of the election where Jongno changed from a conservative stronghold to a region where the Democratic Party could try?

It is necessary to go back to the 19th general election in 2012 when the Saenuri Party secured a majority of seats. The 19th general election was also a showdown between political heavyweights in Jongno. The Saenuri Party fielded Hong Sa-deok, a six-term lawmaker. He was a politician with extensive experience, having been elected to the National Assembly in 1981. He also served as the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly during the 16th National Assembly.

In the 17th and 18th general elections, Hannara Party’s Park Jin was the winner in Jongno. Especially in the 18th general election, the United Democratic Party fielded Son Hak-gyu, but he could not overcome the Hannara Party’s wall. Even with a party leader-level figure running, the conservative party’s dominance in Jongno remained strong.

On the afternoon of the 15th, Hong Sa-deok, a Saenuri Party lawmaker running in Jongno, Seoul in the April 11 general election, visited Gwangjang Market in Jongno-gu to greet the merchants.

In the 19th general election, the Democratic Party fielded four-term lawmaker Chung Sye-kyun. He was a former chairman of the Uri Party and leader of the Democratic Party. While he can be classified as a heavyweight politician, it is hard to say he had more extensive political experience compared to Hong Sa-deok.

Moreover, the Seoul general election was Chung Sye-kyun’s first challenge. He had built his political base in Muju, Jinan, and Jangsu in North Jeolla Province. Seoul, where the ruling and opposition parties wage an all-out battle, especially Jongno, was not an easy election.

Looking at past election results, Saenuri Party’s Hong Sa-deok was a candidate who could realistically compete.

At that time, the Jongno election showed clear differences by district. There were areas strong for conservative parties and areas strong for the Democratic Party.

The 2012 19th general election results were like that. It can also be seen as a preview of the 2020 Jongno general election results. If a candidate performs well in a so-called weak area, it increases the chances of winning, but if they struggle even in strong areas, it is difficult to expect victory. This applies to both former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon and leader Hwang Kyo-ahn.

In the 19th general election, the representative area where Saenuri Party’s Hong Sa-deok showed strength was Pyeongchang-dong. Out of a total of 9,531 votes, Hong Sa-deok received 5,596 votes, and Chung Sye-kyun received 3,746 votes. Pyeongchang-dong is one of the neighborhoods with many voters, and Hong Sa-deok had nearly a 2,000-vote lead there.

In Sajik-dong, out of 5,052 voters, Hong Sa-deok received 2,806 votes, and Chung Sye-kyun received 2,119 votes, giving Hong Sa-deok a victory by nearly 700 votes. In Samcheong-dong, Buam-dong, and Jongno 1, 2, 3, and 4 ga-dong, although the vote difference was not large, Hong Sa-deok was ahead of Chung Sye-kyun.

To conclude, in the 19th general election, Chung Sye-kyun won with 41,732 votes (52.26%), defeating Hong Sa-deok, who received 36,641 votes (45.89%). This marked the emergence of a Democratic Party candidate elected through a general election, not a by-election, in Jongno, which had been a conservative stronghold.

Chung Sye-kyun lost to Hong Sa-deok in Pyeongchang-dong and Sajik-dong, so how did he win? Chung Sye-kyun led Hong Sa-deok in the eastern parts of Jongno, such as Changsin 1-3 dong, Sungin 1-2 dong, Ihwa-dong, Hyehwa-dong, and Myeongnyun 3-ga dong.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Especially in Changsin 1, 2, and 3 dong, he gained from about 600 to as many as 1,400 more votes than Hong Sa-deok, securing the winning momentum. In Hyehwa-dong, Chung Sye-kyun received 3,227 votes, while Hong Sa-deok received 2,705 votes.

In Ihwa-dong, Chung Sye-kyun received 2,448 votes, and Hong Sa-deok 1,613 votes. In Sungin 2-dong, Chung Sye-kyun received 2,319 votes, and Hong Sa-deok 1,599 votes.

Then, what were the results in the most recent 20th Jongno general election? Saenuri Party candidate Oh Se-hoon received 4,619 votes in Pyeongchang-dong, and Democratic Party candidate Chung Sye-kyun received 4,571 votes. In Hyehwa-dong, Chung Sye-kyun received 5,514 votes, and Oh Se-hoon received 3,458 votes. Chung Sye-kyun secured a lead of over 2,000 votes in Hyehwa-dong and fought a close battle in Pyeongchang-dong, becoming the final winner of the 20th Jongno general election.

For Hwang Kyo-ahn to win in the 21st general election, he must increase his vote share in Hyehwa-dong and Changsin-dong and secure a clear lead in Pyeongchang-dong. For Lee Nak-yeon to win, he must perform well in Pyeongchang-dong and firmly consolidate the traditional Democratic Party strongholds in Hyehwa-dong and Changsin-dong.

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