[Politics, That Day...] 17th National Assembly, Lawmakers Elected Twice from the Same District

2006 July 26 By-election Results Leave 'Nightmare' for Uri Party and 'Regret' for Hannara Party
Songpa-gap's Maeng Hyung-gyu Resigns from Assembly to Run for Seoul Mayor, Then Wins By-election in His Own District

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min]

Editor's Note‘Politics, On 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]

‘Political history’ is a mirror reflecting the reality of Korean politics. When encountering a scene described as a ‘rare record,’ the reaction is sometimes less about praising a ‘great achievement’ and more about wondering ‘how could such a thing happen…’

The ‘scene’ that shocked the political circles of Yeouido on July 26, 2006, was no exception. The July 26 by-elections left the ruling party at the time and the largest party in the National Assembly, the Uri Party, with a ‘devastating memory,’ while the Grand National Party, which was the number one party in opinion polls, faced an ‘embarrassing scene.’

To conclude, in the July 26 by-elections held in four constituencies?Seongbuk-eul in Seoul, Songpa-gap, Bucheon Sosa in Gyeonggi, and Masan-si-gap in Gyeongnam?the Uri Party failed to produce a single winning candidate.

This was a preview foreshadowing the dark future of the Uri Party, which was a first party in name only. Although the Grand National Party won in three constituencies?Songpa-gap, Bucheon Sosa, and Masan-si-gap?it was difficult for them to pop the champagne of victory.

This was because they suffered a blow in Seongbuk-eul, Seoul. In Seongbuk-eul, Democratic Party candidate Jo Soon-hyung defeated Grand National Party candidate Choi Soo-young. Jo Soon-hyung secured 44.3% of the vote, while Choi Soo-young received 40.1%, making it a close contest.

The July 26 by-election victory gave the Democratic Party, which had its political base in Honam, an opportunity. After the split from the Uri Party, the Democratic Party’s influence had shrunk, and this election provided a chance for a turnaround. The Uri Party came in third. The Seongbuk-eul election result was also a painful blow to the Grand National Party.

The Grand National Party had secretly hoped for a clean sweep but was defeated by the Democratic Party, which lagged far behind in party support ratings. After the July 26 by-election results were announced, attention focused on the elected Jo Soon-hyung of Seongbuk-eul, but the figure who left a rare record in political history was someone else.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

‘Politician Maeng Hyung-gyu,’ who had resigned his parliamentary seat, returned once again. In May 2006, during the 4th simultaneous local elections, he made a desperate push to become the Mayor of Seoul. Having been elected in the 17th general election from the Songpa-gap constituency in Seoul, he showed determination by resigning his parliamentary seat. On January 31, 2006, he declared his resignation from the Songpa-gap parliamentary seat.

However, politician Oh Se-hoon’s declaration to run for Seoul Mayor shattered his dream. Maeng Hyung-gyu could not even overcome the hurdle of the party primary for Seoul Mayor. While nurturing his dream of becoming Seoul Mayor, he also had to give up his parliamentary seat in Songpa-gap. The July 26 Songpa-gap by-election was caused by his resignation.

There was great interest in who would become the new member of the 17th National Assembly from Songpa-gap, but the news coming from Yeouido was intriguing. The name of politician Maeng Hyung-gyu was being mentioned as the Grand National Party candidate for the Songpa-gap by-election. Running again for the seat he had resigned from and winning could be a controversial scene in terms of political ethics.

However, if ‘the local residents want it,’ he could gain justification for his candidacy. When politician Maeng Hyung-gyu threw his hat in the ring again to become the Songpa-gap member of the National Assembly, the residents overwhelmingly supported him. Maeng Hyung-gyu, who ran as the Grand National Party candidate in the July 26 by-election in Songpa-gap, received 76.8% of the vote.

This was more than three times the 23.2% vote share obtained by the competing Uri Party candidate. He was a figure who was elected twice in the same constituency during the 17th National Assembly, and the local residents of that constituency were the enablers of this rare record. The reason such a result was possible was due to the critical sentiment against the ruling Uri Party and the decline in voter turnout caused by political cynicism.

The voter turnout for the July 26 by-election was recorded at 24.8%, marking the lowest turnout in the history of by-elections.

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