[Politics, That Day...] The 1㎢ Apartment Complex Hotspot That Decided the Outcome of the 2012 'Deokyang Daechup'

Election in Goyang Deogyang-gap Decided by 170 Votes... Voter Sentiment Near Hwajeong Station on Subway Line 3 Determines Winner

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min]

Editor's Note‘Politics, That Day...’ is a series planning corner that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to scenes, events, and figures that deserve attention.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

For politicians, having a small constituency area is a blessing. If they work hard on foot, they can visit various parts of their constituency in a single day. Compared to places where one constituency is formed by combining 4 to 5 vast county-level areas in Gangwon Province, it is the polar opposite in terms of ‘campaign efficiency.’

In fact, politicians running in Gangwon Province constituencies often cannot even cover their entire constituency once during the election period. Since residents live scattered in each village, it is not easy to visit them, hand out business cards, and make their faces known.

Politicians whose constituencies are in densely populated areas like Seoul tend to conduct political activities more comfortably compared to those in rural areas. However, even in Gyeonggi Province, which includes rural areas, there are places where campaign efficiency can be maximized. This important region that can determine the election outcome allows candidates to come and go several times within an hour and interact with voters if they wish.

That place is Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province. Deogyang-gu covers an area of 165.5 km², which is more than half of the total area of Goyang-si. Considering that the total area of Seongnam-si is 141.7 km², Deogyang-gu is quite large.

What does it mean that politicians with Deogyang-gu as their constituency can maximize campaign efficiency? Deogyang-gu is a place where densely populated areas and rural areas are mixed. Although the area is large, considering the forest areas of Bukhansan National Park, the places where people live are limited.

This means that people are concentrated in certain areas, while other areas have few houses. If people are concentrated in specific areas and hold the casting vote that determines the election outcome, candidates running for the National Assembly election have no choice but to focus their campaigns on those areas.

Such a situation occurred in the Deogyang-gap constituency during the 19th general election on April 11, 2012. The choice of neighbors living within a ‘500m radius’ from a reference point changed the winner of the National Assembly election. Deogyang-gap was the constituency with the smallest margin of victory in the 19th general election, decided by only 170 votes.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Saenuri Party candidate Son Beom-gyu received 43,758 votes, while Unified Progressive Party candidate Sim Sang-jung received 43,928 votes. It ended with Sim Sang-jung’s 170-vote victory. Son Beom-gyu was the incumbent National Assembly member elected in the 18th general election with a 43.50% vote share in the same constituency.

He had solid constituency management and the ruling party premium, so his election was expected. Sim Sang-jung was also a formidable competitor. Although she narrowly lost in the 18th general election, the 19th general election was a one-on-one contest with Son Beom-gyu, making it a winnable fight.

On election day, even after voting ended and counting continued, the outcome remained uncertain. Until the middle of the count, the trend favored Son Beom-gyu, and real-time counting results broadcasted on TV showed him leading.

Even as the count passed the midpoint, this trend did not change significantly, but Sim Sang-jung’s side was leaning toward victory rather than defeat. Why did they foresee victory despite unfavorable counting trends?

The Goyang-gap election starts and ends in Hwajeong-dong. While results from other areas are important, the voting sentiment in Hwajeong-dong determines the election outcome. During the 19th general election, the number of registered voters in Deogyang-gap was 161,346.

Deogyang-gap consists of Jugyo-dong, Wonsin-dong, Heungdo-dong, Seongsa-dong, Goyang-dong, Gwansan-dong, and Hwajeong-dong. Hwajeong-dong (1-dong and 2-dong) has about 60,000 registered voters, overwhelmingly more than other areas. Many residents live in apartment complexes clustered around Hwajeong Station on Subway Line 3.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The neighborhood that decided the 19th general election outcome was Hwajeong 2-dong. Hwajeong 2-dong includes Hwajeong Station, Hwajeong Bus Terminal, Hwajeong Central Park, and Goyang Police Station. Most voters in Hwajeong 2-dong live within 1 km² south of Hwajeong Station. It is a convenient area for transportation, with easy access to Seoul or Ilsan via Subway Line 3 and many express buses to Seoul passing through. The residential environment is also good, with shopping and education facilities.

In Deogyang-gap, Son Beom-gyu led significantly in rural areas, but Hwajeong-dong was different. Sim Sang-jung obtained nearly half of her 40,000 votes?about 20,000?from Hwajeong-dong. In particular, she received 9,432 votes in Hwajeong 2-dong, surpassing Son Beom-gyu’s 6,771 votes by 2,661 votes. Considering Sim Sang-jung’s final 170-vote victory, this is a remarkable margin.

No other area showed such a wide vote gap between the two candidates as Hwajeong 2-dong. Son Beom-gyu performed well in Goyang-dong and Gwansan-dong, but he had to concede victory due to the large deficit in Hwajeong 2-dong. The voting sentiment of residents in the Hwajeong 2-dong apartment complexes (Byeolbit Village Complexes 7?10, Okbit Village Complexes 13?17) turned the election outcome upside down.

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