[21st General Election] Minimum Vote Difference 171 Votes... Also 100,000 Votes 'Swept'

Incheon Dong-gu Michuhol 0.1%p Joy and Sorrow
Gwangju Buk-gu Eul 78.8% Vote Margin 1st Place

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] In the recent April 15 general election, several candidates' fates were decided by narrow margins of just three-digit vote differences. The constituency with the closest result was Incheon Dong-gu Michuhol, where a three-way race unfolded between Nam Young-hee of the Democratic Party, Ahn Sang-soo of the United Future Party, and independent candidate Yoon Sang-hyun. Candidate Yoon won by only 171 votes, a margin of just 0.1 percentage points, defeating Nam and securing the seat.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the fiercely contested "return match" battleground of Asan Gap, Chungnam, the outcome was decided by a 0.2 percentage point difference in vote share. This was a highly watched race where Lee Myung-soo of the United Future Party, who had served three consecutive terms, faced off again after 16 years against Bok Ki-wang of the Democratic Party, former mayor of Asan and former Blue House political secretary. Lee narrowly defeated Bok by 564 votes.

The Democratic Party's defense of the Nakdong River belt was also decided by a three-digit vote difference. In Busan Saha Gap, Democratic candidate Choi In-ho won by 697 votes over Kim Cheok-su of the United Future Party, preventing the fall of the Busan-Gyeongnam (PK) region.

Similarly close contests took place in the metropolitan area. In Seoul Yongsan, Kwon Young-se of the United Future Party, who had been second in exit polls, defeated Kang Tae-woong of the Democratic Party by 890 votes after a tight race.

Some candidates secured a landslide victory by maximizing their vote margin. The top vote-getter in this election was Lee Hyung-seok of the Democratic Party, who ran in Gwangju Buk-gu Eul and received 108,229 votes. He led his opponent, Choi Kyung-hwan of the Minsheng Party, by 92,948 votes. Lee swept the vote with a 78.8% share, while Yoon Min-ho of the Minjung Party, Hwang Soon-young of the Justice Party, and independent candidate Noh Nam-soo recorded low vote shares of 3.3%, 3.0%, and 2.0%, respectively.

Except for these close-call areas, the Democratic Party and the United Future Party each dominated their respective support bases. While the prevailing interpretation was that the election would see no surprises, some candidates defied expectations. Notably, the strong performance of newcomers signaled a shift in the political landscape. In Mokpo, Jeonnam, political rookie Kim Won-yi of the Democratic Party caused a stir by defeating Park Ji-won of the Minsheng Party, a seasoned politician. In Daejeon Dong-gu, considered a conservative stronghold, 36-year-old young candidate Jang Cheol-min of the Democratic Party upset incumbent Lee Jang-woo of the United Future Party, creating an upset. While the Democratic Party swept 9 out of 10 constituencies in Jeonbuk, independent candidate Lee Yong-ho won in Jeonbuk Namwon Imsil Sunchang, preventing a complete Democratic sweep of Honam.

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