Oh Se-hoon draws strong support in Gangnam 3 districts, Han River belt
Reconstruction, redevelopment zones tilt toward People Power Party candidates
Trend seen even among voters in their 40s and 50s who largely back Democratic Party
'Progressive by nature, but I voted for whoever benefits me'
Incumbent premium also a factor: 'I voted opposition for district mayor'
Seoul voters delivered a rebuke to the People Power Party in Wednesday's ninth nationwide local elections, throwing their weight behind the Democratic Party of Korea. Yet when it came to races that directly affect their daily lives — mayor and district mayor — many crossed party lines to back People Power candidates. The split-ticket tendency was visible even among voters in their 40s and 50s, a demographic that largely leans Democratic.
According to the National Election Commission, People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon won the Seoul mayoral race with 2,572,443 votes, or 49.19 percent, narrowly defeating Democratic Party candidate Jeong Won-o, who received 2,514,832 votes, or 48.09 percent. The victory made Oh the first five-term Seoul mayor in history. Oh had trailed Jeong in exit polls and early returns but began closing the gap once vote counting reached the conservative-leaning Gangnam area. He overtook Jeong at around 7:15 a.m. Thursday and ultimately won by roughly 53,000 votes, based on 99.54 percent of ballots counted.
Oh outperformed Jeong in 10 of Seoul's 25 districts — not only the so-called Gangnam 3 districts of Seocho, Gangnam and Songpa-gu, but also Jung-gu, Yongsan-gu, Gwangjin-gu, Yangcheon-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Dongjak-gu and Gangdong-gu. With the exception of Jung-gu, all those districts border the Han River and are in the midst of active real estate development.
Voters appear to have chosen Oh for his pledge to push real estate policy forward at speed — a priority for many residents whose personal wealth is heavily tied to property.
Kim, a 48-year-old homemaker in Songpa-gu, said the apartment complex where she lives is pursuing reconstruction and she worried that a change in mayor could slow the already sluggish project further. "My political leanings are actually progressive, but I voted based on practical circumstances," she said.
The same pattern played out in district mayor races. Of Seoul's 25 autonomous districts, the Democratic Party won 17 and the People Power Party took eight. People Power swept the southeastern belt — Seocho, Gangnam, Gangdong and Songpa-gu — and also won in Jung-gu, Yongsan-gu, Gwangjin-gu and Yangcheon-gu across the northwestern, northeastern and southwestern zones.
Real estate and tax issues weighed heavily in the district mayor contests as well. Most districts where People Power candidates won sit in the Han River belt, where reconstruction and redevelopment are active. Many property owners in those areas have also grown resentful of the tax policies the government has pursued in recent years.
Lee, a 40-year-old office worker in Gangdong-gu, said his parents own two homes but have little income beyond retirement savings and are anxious about property holding taxes. "It is right to hold the opposition accountable for the insurrection," he said, "but I thought a landslide win for the ruling party would produce more radical policies. I felt a check was needed, so I voted for the opposition."
The incumbent premium also played a role in some races, with residents crediting local leaders they viewed as effective administrators. Choi, a 50-year-old office worker in Jung-gu, said he noticed improvements in his child's school facilities and the surrounding neighborhood after the current district mayor took office. "The local market nearby was cleaned up and developed, and young people started coming," he said. "Unlike the mayoral race, I voted for the incumbent district mayor."
ikson@heraldcorp.com
