Change of Heart in 5 Gyeonggi-do Areas That Reduced 5.32%P to 0.15%P

Support Rates Reversed in Gwangju and Yangju
Gap Narrows Even in Democratic Strongholds
Political Colors May Shift Three Months Before Presidential Election

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Hyunji Kwon] Although Kim Dong-yeon, the governor-elect of Gyeonggi Province, achieved a thrilling comeback victory in the June 1 local elections, the wave brought by Kim Eun-hye, the People Power Party candidate backed by so-called ‘Yunshim (尹心·President Yoon Suk-yeol’s intention),’ was also strong. Analyzing the vote shares at the city, county, and district levels in this local election revealed that several areas which showed a Democratic Party advantage in the March 9 presidential election shifted to a People Power Party advantage.

According to an analysis of the Gyeonggi Province governor candidate vote shares by city, county, and district from the Central Election Commission on the 3rd, areas such as Gwangju, Yangju, Anseong, Dongducheon, and Yongin Cheoin-gu had higher vote shares for former Democratic presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung than President Yoon in the last presidential election, but in this local election, Kim Eun-hye received more support. The regional political landscape changed significantly in less than three months since the presidential election.

In Gwangju City, the vote share difference between the candidates in the presidential election showed President Yoon trailing by about 10.09 percentage points. However, in this local election, Kim Eun-hye led by 2.3 percentage points. In this area, former candidate Lee’s vote share was 53.54% in the last presidential election, exceeding half, but Kim Eun-hye’s vote share was 50.27% this time. Kim Dong-yeon’s vote share was only 47.97%. In Yongin Cheoin-gu, President Yoon’s vote share was 46.64%, but Kim Eun-hye’s vote share exceeded half at 52.45%.

In Gyeonggi Province, former candidate Lee had a 5.32 percentage point (462,810 votes) higher vote share than President Yoon in the last presidential election, but this time the difference narrowed to just 0.15 percentage points (8,913 votes), showing a significant shift in public sentiment.

Even in areas where the Democratic Party was dominant in the local elections, the vote share gap noticeably decreased. Suwon’s Jangan, Gwonseon, and Yeongtong districts, as well as Seongnam’s Sujeong and Jungwon districts, are representative examples. In Seongnam Jungwon-gu, former candidate Lee’s vote share was 57.24% in the last presidential election, but Kim Dong-yeon’s vote share dropped to 52.77%. However, this was still higher than the overall average vote share. In Bucheon and Gwangmyeong cities, Kim Eun-hye had a higher vote share than President Yoon. President Yoon received 42.44% and 44.20% in Bucheon and Gwangmyeong respectively in the last presidential election, but Kim Eun-hye recorded 45.04% and 45.77% in these areas. Notably, in Gwacheon City, Kim Eun-hye’s vote share (54.43%) was lower than President Yoon’s (57.59%).

Governor-elect Kim is preparing to formally establish the transition committee and begin governing. Starting from this day, Kim plans to tour around Gyeonggi Province over the weekend to pay courtesy visits to those who lost in the election.

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