Political Hotspot Jongno Elects Choi Jae-hyung
Seocho Gap Jo Eun-hee Wins with 72.72% Votes
Gyeonggi Anseong Kim Hak-yong & Cheongju Sangdang Jeong Woo-taek Elected
Daegu Jungnang-gu Im Byung-heon Wins as Independent after No Nomination and People Power Party Departure
On the 3rd, Choi Jae-hyung, the People Power Party candidate running in the March 9 Seoul Jongno by-election, is being interviewed at the election situation room located in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 9th, during the 20th presidential election and the concurrent by-elections for the National Assembly, the People Power Party (PPP) achieved a near sweep by winning 4 out of 5 districts.
According to the Central Election Commission on the 10th, Choi Jae-hyung, the PPP candidate in Jongno, Seoul, known as the "political hotspot," was elected with 52.09% of the vote. Former Jongno District Mayor Kim Young-jong, originally from the Democratic Party, ran as an independent candidate after the Democratic Party decided not to field a candidate, receiving 28.41% of the votes.
PPP candidates also won with a majority in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, and Sangdang, Cheongju. Kim Hak-yong, the PPP candidate who served three consecutive terms from the 18th to the 20th National Assembly in Anseong, Gyeonggi, secured 54.18% of the vote, becoming a four-term lawmaker. Independent candidate Lee Ki-young and Justice Party candidate Lee Joo-hyun received 25.66% and 20.15% of the votes, respectively.
Jung Woo-taek, the PPP candidate in Sangdang, Cheongju, garnered 56.92% of the vote, defeating independent candidate Kim Si-jin, who received 32.81%, and was elected for a fifth term.
Earlier, the Democratic Party did not field candidates in Jongno, Anseong, and Cheongju due to their own party's responsibility.
In Seocho Gap, Seoul, Jo Eun-hee, a former Seocho District Mayor and PPP candidate, is also expected to win.
As of 5:03 AM, Jo Eun-hee of the PPP recorded an overwhelming 72.72% of the vote in Seocho Gap, Seoul, defeating Lee Jung-geun of the Democratic Party, who received 23.23%, and secured the seat.
In Jungnang-gu, Daegu, where the PPP did not field a candidate, Im Byung-heon, who left the PPP and ran as an independent, was elected with 22.39% of the vote. He narrowly defeated Kwon Young-hyun of the People’s Party, who received 21.56%, by 0.83 percentage points. Democratic Party candidate Baek Soo-beom received 19.41% of the votes.
With the PPP winning in four of the by-elections, their number of seats increased from 106 to 110.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
