Red Light for Gangnam 4 Districts (Gangnam, Seocho, Songpa, Gangdong) and Mayongseonggwang (Mapo, Yongsan, Seongdong, Gwangjin) District Heads?

Seoul's Gangnam 4 Districts?Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu, Songpa-gu, Gangdong-gu?and the Four Han River Districts?Mapo-gu, Yongsan-gu, Seongdong-gu, Gwangjin-gu?Seoul District Mayors Supporting Candidate Yoon Seok-yeol Tense Ahead of June 1 Local Elections for the 8th Term of Directly Elected Mayors

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] As the votes from the so-called affluent neighborhoods in Seoul shifted to Yoon Seok-yeol, the candidate from the conservative People Power Party, in the 20th presidential election, attention is turning to the results of the upcoming 8th local elections under direct popular election, which are just over 80 days away.

In the March 9 presidential election, Yoon Seok-yeol significantly outpaced Lee Jae-myung in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu, Songpa-gu, Gangdong-gu?collectively known as the affluent ‘Gangnam 4 districts’?as well as in the ‘Four Riverside Autonomous Districts’ of Mapo-gu, Yongsan-gu, Seongdong-gu, and Gwangjin-gu, putting the respective district heads on alert.

According to the Central Election Commission’s vote counting progress, Yoon Seok-yeol of the People Power Party defeated Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party by margins of 3,042 votes in Jongno-gu, 4,662 in Jung-gu, 24,984 in Yongsan-gu, 19,469 in Seongdong-gu, 3,804 in Gwangjin-gu, 4,719 in Dongdaemun-gu, 6,411 in Mapo-gu, 11,194 in Yangcheon-gu, 18,403 in Yeongdeungpo-gu, 12,819 in Dongjak-gu, 90,786 in Seocho-gu, 129,032 in Gangnam-gu, 74,676 in Songpa-gu, and 21,421 in Gangdong-gu?14 autonomous districts in total.

Accordingly, Lee Jae-myung won in 11 autonomous districts in the northern and southwestern areas, including Jungnang-gu, Seongbuk-gu, Gangbuk-gu, Dobong-gu, Nowon-gu, Eunpyeong-gu, Seodaemun-gu, Gangseo-gu, Guro-gu, Geumcheon-gu, and Gwanak-gu.

Notably, Gwanak-gu secured a victory by a margin of 17,340 votes, reaffirming its long-standing status as a Democratic Party stronghold.

As a result, ahead of the local elections scheduled for June 1, the district heads of Jongno, Jung-gu, the so-called middle-class Gangnam area, and the ‘Mayongseong’ region are under significant pressure.

An official from one autonomous district stated, “Despite our best efforts in this presidential election, we lost in 14 Seoul districts due to burdens such as the comprehensive real estate tax,” adding, “We will do our best during the remaining period.”

In particular, the four Gangnam districts, as well as Yongsan-gu and Seongdong-gu, suffered significant defeats, causing their district heads to be on edge.

Moreover, the upcoming June 1 local elections mark the first since the 5th local elections held in 2010, meaning the Democratic Party has faced 12 years of local elections, and with President Yoon Seok-yeol of the People Power Party having taken office just 20 days prior, it is expected to be a challenging election for the Democratic Party.

The People Power Party is also expected to face a tougher contest as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is likely to run again.

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