27 Years (Progressive) vs 4 Years (Conservative)... Is the Gwanak District Office Chief Conservative Stronghold?

Democratic Party's Park Jun-hee Wins Gwanak-gu Mayor Election by 5.8% Margin, Secures Re-election... 39 Years of Democratic Mayors in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th-8th Terms... People Power's Kim Hyo-gyeom Served 4 Years in 4th Term

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Gwanak-gu, along with Guro-gu and Geumcheon-gu, is a representative city in the southwestern part of Seoul known for its strong progressive political landscape.

In the recent June 1 local elections, despite the neighboring district Guro-gu electing a People Power Party candidate for the first time in 12 years since the 3rd and 4th terms of the directly elected mayor, Gwanak-gu re-elected Park Jun-hee, the current mayor from the Democratic Party of Korea, securing a second term.

Of course, in Guro-gu, the election was held without Lee Seong, a Democratic Party mayor who had completed three terms, running again. Moon Heon-il, a candidate with a strong local base as the president of the nationwide Chungcheong Association, defeated the Democratic candidate and was elected.

However, Gwanak-gu's mayoral election was the first election held just 22 days after the inauguration of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. Moreover, with Seoul Mayor candidate Oh Se-hoon winning in all districts of Seoul and achieving a 59.05% vote share, the People Power Party candidate Lee Haeng-ja received 47% of the vote, trailing the winner, incumbent Mayor Park Jun-hee, by 5.8%.

Looking at the backgrounds of past Gwanak-gu mayors, one can see how strong the progressive faction is in the area.

Gwanak-gu had Jin Jin-hyung from Jeonbuk as its first mayor, followed by Kim Hee-cheol for the 2nd and 3rd terms, serving a total of 11 years. Then, Yoo Jong-pil from Hampyeong, Jeonnam, served as mayor for the 5th and 6th terms, totaling 8 years. Subsequently, Park Jun-hee from Wando, Jeonnam, was elected for the 7th and 8th terms, serving 8 years. Altogether, Democratic Party candidates have governed for 27 years.

On the other hand, Kim Hyo-gyeom, a native of Gwanak and former Gwanak district council member from a conservative party, was elected mayor during the 4th term after President Lee Myung-bak's election, serving only 4 years.

Democratic Party mayors: 27 years; People Power Party mayors: 4 years.

Because of this, it is often said that Gwanak-gu is "an impregnable fortress" for conservative parties.

So, what is the reason Gwanak-gu is such a stronghold for the Democratic Party?

First, looking at the origins of Gwanak-gu residents, about 40% are from Honam, and about 30% are from Chungcheong.

Additionally, the population structure includes 40% young single-person households. However, in this local election, young voters largely abstained, and with a voter turnout around 50%, the high proportion of Honam-origin residents creates a favorable environment for the Democratic Party to win.

Meanwhile, in this local election, 11 Democratic Party and 8 People Power Party members were elected to the Gwanak district council. Although Justice Party members had been consistently elected in the past, they were defeated this time, drawing attention.

A Gwanak-gu insider said, "While the conservative People Power Party has weak organizational power, the Democratic Party has strong organizations including district and city council members, so it will be difficult for conservatives to win the mayoral election for the time being," adding, "For conservative parties, it is like a rocky field, so they need to work hard to build their organization."

However, a director of a Seoul district office warned, "Even an impregnable fortress can change at any time. In politics, you need to know where your ground is. You must serve the residents well."

Of course, the general election in two years is highly fluid politically, so it will be worth watching the results of former lawmaker Oh Shin-hwan, who will challenge Gwanak-eul, and former mayor Yoo Jong-pil, who will challenge Gwanak-gu Gap.