[Politics, That Day...] The 16th General Election 20 Years Ago, The Prelude to the 6 Battles Between Woo Sang-ho and Lee Seong-heon

Only Yonsei Alumni Elected in Seoul Seodaemun-gap District... Fate-Deciding Confrontations Continue Since 2000 General Election

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] ‘Politics, On That Day...’ is a series planning corner that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to notable scenes, events, or figures.

On July 7 last year, the solar term Soseo (小暑), which marks the beginning of the full heat, citizens are cooling off by having a water gun fight at the 7th Sinchon Water Gun Festival held on Yonsei-ro, Sinchon, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Is it fate or destiny? A showdown between Yonsei University alumni is happening again. In the upcoming 21st general election on April 15, the competition in Seoul Seodaemun-gap district is once again ‘Woo Sang-ho vs Lee Seong-heon.’ Seodaemun-gap includes areas such as Chunghyeon-dong, Cheonyeon-dong, Bukahyeon-dong, Sinchon-dong, Yeonhui-dong, Hongje 1-dong, and Hongje 2-dong.

A Yonsei University alumnus located in Sinchon-dong has been elected as the member of the National Assembly for this area. This has been an unchanging fact for the past 20 years. It is hard to say that Seodaemun-gap voters have particularly favored Yonsei alumni, but it is a coincidence that the politicians representing this area are all Yonsei graduates.

Representative Woo Sang-ho and former Representative Lee Seong-heon have shown similar yet different political trajectories. Their common point is that they both carry memories of the passionate democratization movement of the 1980s. Former Representative Lee Seong-heon served as the president of the Yonsei University student council and a planning committee member of the Democratic Promotion Council in the 1980s. Representative Woo Sang-ho was also the president of the Yonsei University student council and the president of the Dongwoo Association of the National Council of Student Representatives in the 1980s.

Former Assemblyman Lee Seong-heon

The paths of the two diverged. Former Representative Lee Seong-heon continued his political career in conservative parties. He ran as a candidate for the New Korea Party in the 15th general election in 1996, and continued to run as a candidate for the Hannara Party and Saenuri Party in the 16th to 20th general elections. All his constituencies were Seoul Seodaemun-gap.

Representative Woo Sang-ho ran as a Democratic Party candidate in the 16th general election in 2000, and subsequently as a candidate for the Uri Party, United Democratic Party, Democratic United Party, and the Democratic Party of Korea up to the 20th general election. All his constituencies were also Seoul Seodaemun-gap.

Representative Woo Sang-ho has consistently been affiliated with Democratic Party-aligned parties, and he is originally from Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. Former Representative Lee Seong-heon has consistently been affiliated with conservative parties, and he is originally from Yeonggwang, Jeollanam-do. Although their regions are divided between Honam and Gangwon, both attended high school and university in Seoul. Woo Sang-ho graduated from Seoul Yongmun High School, and Lee Seong-heon graduated from Seoul Myeongji High School.

The first general election showdown between the two took place exactly 20 years ago in the 16th general election in 2000. The ‘Change Wind’ movement by the Citizens’ Coalition for Change was heating up, turning many parts of Seoul into battlegrounds. The Seoul Seodaemun-gap district, where Woo Sang-ho and Lee Seong-heon faced off for the first time, was a representative example.

At that time, they competed as candidates for the Hannara Party and the Millennium Democratic Party, respectively, in a very close race. The result was Lee Seong-heon with 47.01% and Woo Sang-ho with 45.16%. Lee Seong-heon received 34,623 votes, and Woo Sang-ho received 33,259 votes. The outcome was decided. Lee Seong-heon became a member of the National Assembly for the first time, while Woo Sang-ho had to wait for the future.

When the two first faced each other, could they have imagined that their rivalry would continue for 20 years? Politicians usually cultivate a specific region as their stronghold, but depending on political circumstances, they may switch to other regions or leave their constituencies for bigger ambitions. Even if a politician wants to continue running in a specific area, receiving party nomination is not easy.

Both have not left the Seoul Seodaemun-gap constituency amid changing political environments. After their first showdown 20 years ago, their fortunes fluctuated. In the 17th general election, Woo Sang-ho won and became a member of the National Assembly for the first time. The 18th general election ended with Lee Seong-heon’s victory again.

Assemblyman Woo Sang-ho

The 19th and 20th general elections both ended with Woo Sang-ho’s victories. Seoul is one of the areas with high population mobility. Even if you work hard to cultivate votes, there is no guarantee that the voters will continue to live there. When people change, voting tendencies also change little by little.

So, what about the most recent election, the 20th general election in 2016? Woo Sang-ho, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate, won with 54.88%, receiving 42,972 votes. Lee Seong-heon, the Saenuri Party candidate, received 40.27%, with 31,529 votes.

Woo Sang-ho won in all areas of the Seodaemun-gap district in the 20th general election. The vote difference between the two candidates was not large in Chunghyeon-dong and Bukahyeon-dong. Woo Sang-ho widened the gap in Sinchon-dong and Yeonhui-dong. In Sinchon-dong, Woo Sang-ho received 4,883 votes, and Lee Seong-heon received 2,742 votes, a difference of over 2,000 votes.

In Yeonhui-dong, Woo Sang-ho received 10,211 votes, and Lee Seong-heon received 7,549 votes, a gap of more than 2,600 votes. Yeonhui-dong has the largest number of voters in the Seodaemun-gap district. The 21st general election is also expected to focus on Yeonhui-dong and Sinchon-dong as key points.

Whether former Representative Lee Seong-heon will perform well here or Representative Woo Sang-ho will maintain his advantage will likely determine the winner of their sixth showdown.