[21st General Election] Rookies Topple Heavyweights... Regionalism Shapes Battlegrounds' Fortunes

Gwangjin: Go Min-jung Defeats Oh Se-hoon... Baek Hyeon-jin in Songpa Eul Beats Four-Term Incumbent
Clear Divide Between Honam Ruling Party and Yeongnam Opposition... Lee Kwang-jae's Spectacular Return in Gangwon

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyemin and Kang Nahum] The 21st April 15 general election featured an unusually high number of fiercely contested battlegrounds. Most of these contests ended in victories for the Democratic Party of Korea. However, with regionalism resurging, prominent ruling party figures in Busan and Daegu had to face bitter defeats.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆Ruling Party Political Newcomers Defeat Opposition Heavyweights... Ruling Party Sweeps the Capital Area=In the capital area, which had the most battlegrounds, the ruling party achieved a landslide victory. In Seoul Dongjak-eul and Gwangjin-eul, considered key indicators of the overall election outcome, political newcomers from the ruling party defeated all heavyweight opposition candidates.

In Seoul Gwangjin-eul, where Democratic Party candidate Go Min-jung, known as President Moon Jae-in’s "mouthpiece" and "true confidante," faced off against opposition presidential hopeful Oh Se-hoon of the United Future Party, Go secured the certificate of election. The final tally was 50.3% to 47.8%, a razor-thin victory. The Democratic Party regarded Gwangjin-eul as Seoul’s most critical battleground and launched an all-out campaign with key ruling party figures campaigning in support. As a result, the political newcomer, despite lacking political experience, succeeded in defeating a presidential contender. In Dongjak-eul, a contest that drew attention as a face-off between two female former judges, Democratic Party candidate Lee Su-jin defeated four-term incumbent Na Kyung-won of the United Future Party.

In Songpa-eul, opposition political newcomer Bae Hyun-jin of the United Future Party defeated four-term veteran Choi Jae-sung of the Democratic Party. Although Songpa-eul is classified as a tough district for the ruling party, this upset is notable as Choi is a prominent pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in) figure in the capital area, where the Democratic Party wave was strong. Bae, known as an MBC News Desk anchor and former party spokesperson, criticized the Moon administration’s real estate policies such as the comprehensive real estate tax during the campaign, tapping into local sentiment, which became the driving force behind her victory.

Additionally, in Incheon Yeonsu-eul, where vote splitting between the Democratic Party and the Justice Party was anticipated, Democratic Party candidate Jung Il-young defeated Min Kyung-wook of the United Future Party. In Gyeonggi Anyang Dongan-eul, which attracted attention as a three-way race among incumbents, Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-jung defeated five-term floor leader Shim Jae-cheol of the United Future Party. In the ‘Cho Kuk battle’ districts of Gyeonggi Namyangju-byeong and Ansan Danwon, Democratic Party candidates Kim Yong-min and Kim Nam-guk respectively defeated incumbent lawmakers Joo Kwang-deok and Park Soon-ja.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆Regionalism Divides Battleground Fortunes... Only Kim Du-kwan Survives=In Honam, votes overwhelmingly went to the Democratic Party, while in Yeongnam, the United Future Party received massive support, leading to contrasting fortunes in the battlegrounds of these regions. ‘Honam heavyweights’ who faced the Democratic Party suffered crushing defeats, while ruling party heavyweights in Yeongnam failed to exert influence.

In Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, political newcomer Kim Won-i of the Democratic Party defeated Park Ji-won of the People’s Livelihood Party, a ‘political veteran.’ Park, who entered the National Assembly as a proportional representative in the 14th general election, was known as former President Kim Dae-jung’s chief of staff. He was re-elected three times consecutively in Mokpo in the 18th, 19th, and 20th general elections but was unable to withstand the ‘Democratic Party wave’ and quietly exited. Cheon Jeong-bae, who served as Minister of Justice during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, sought a seventh term in Gwangju (Seogu-eul) but failed to surpass Democratic Party candidate Yang Hyang-ja. Former presidential candidate Jeong Dong-young also lost by a large margin to Democratic Party candidate Kim Seong-joo, a high school and university junior, in Jeonbuk Jeonju (Jeonju-byeong).

Conversely, in Yeongnam, which overwhelmingly supported the United Future Party, ruling party heavyweights such as Kim Young-choon and Kim Boo-kyum struggled. In Busan’s largest battleground, Busan Jin-gu Gap, United Future Party candidate Seo Byung-soo defeated ruling party’s ‘Busan figurehead’ Kim Young-choon. Kim Boo-kyum, who had laid the groundwork in Daegu advocating for the end of regionalism, lost to United Future Party candidate Joo Ho-young in Daegu Suseong Gap. Among the ruling party, only Kim Du-kwan, a strategic candidate in Yangsan-eul, Gyeongnam, survived. In Daegu’s largest battleground, Suseong, independent candidate Hong Joon-pyo was elected.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆Jeong Jin-seok Wins Fifth Term Defeating Park Soo-hyun... Lee Kwang-jae Makes a Spectacular Political Comeback=In Chungcheong Province battlegrounds, which attracted attention for contests among veteran politicians, the Democratic Party and the United Future Party exchanged victories. In Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang, Chungnam, United Future Party candidate Jeong Jin-seok won a rematch against Democratic Party candidate Park Soo-hyun, securing his fifth term. Meanwhile, Jeong Woo-taek, who was nominated as a ‘hitman candidate’ aiming to reclaim a Democratic Party district, failed to overcome the wall of Democratic Party candidate Do Jong-hwan.

In Gangwon Province, Democratic Party candidate Lee Kwang-jae led a victorious campaign in Wonju Gap, marking a spectacular return to politics. Lee was in charge of strategy during former President Roh Moo-hyun’s presidential campaign and was known as ‘Woo Kwang-jae’ (Roh’s right-hand man).

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