[Politics X-File] Seoul Gangnam-gu That Did Not Tolerate Jeon Du-hwan Party

③The Conservative Stronghold Seoul Gangnam? The Humiliating History of Minjungdang
1985 General Election Only Gangnam-gu Lost in Seoul
Struggles in Gangnam Again in the 1988 13th General Election

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min]

Editor's Note‘Political X-File’ is a serialized project that delivers ‘unprecedented stories’ recorded in the election results and incidents of Korean politics.

In Korean politics, Gangnam-gu in Seoul is perceived as the heartland of conservatism. There is even a joke that whoever runs under the conservative party banner will win. This is why the election result drew attention when Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean embassy official, ran in the 21st National Assembly election in 2020.

The expectation was that voters in the conservative stronghold of Seoul would be reluctant to elect a former North Korean official. Tae’s opponent from the Democratic Party was Kim Seong-gon, a three-term lawmaker famous as the brother of ‘Robert Kim.’ Contrary to expectations that Tae Yong-ho of the United Future Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) would struggle, the result was straightforward.

Tae Yong-ho won comfortably with an overwhelming 58.4% of the vote. It might even be harder for a candidate from a flagship conservative party, which has maintained the legacy of conservative politics in Korea, to lose in Gangnam. But did Gangnam historically choose candidates representing conservative values in past general elections?

The 12th general election on February 12, 1985, broke the stereotype about Gangnam in Korean politics. The Shinhan Democratic Party (Shinmin Party) wave struck the 2/12 election, turning into a typhoon of public sentiment.

If the 2/12 election had been conducted under a single-member district system, Shinmin Party might have swept Seoul almost entirely. At that time, however, a multi-member district system was adopted. Each district (Seoul had 14 districts) elected two winners.

On June 1, 2022, officials are moving ballot boxes at the 8th Nationwide Local Elections counting center set up at Eunpyeong Multipurpose Gymnasium in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The ruling party under the Chun Doo-hwan government, the Democratic Justice Party (Minjung Party), struggled in most Seoul districts. However, thanks to the multi-member district system allowing the top two candidates to win, the party managed to secure seats in ‘almost all’ Seoul districts.

Only one district refused to accept a Minjung Party lawmaker. That district, which the Chun Doo-hwan party could not penetrate, was Gangnam-gu. In Gangnam-gu (the 13th electoral district), the first place was taken by Shinmin Party candidate Kim Hyung-rae with 35.8% of the vote. Lee Joong-jae of the Democratic Korea Party (Minhan Party) came second with 29.7%.

Thus, Gangnam-gu elected Kim Hyung-rae and Lee Joong-jae as its district representatives. The Minjung Party candidate Lee Tae-seop ran but only garnered 24.6% of the vote.

The Minjung Party’s defeat in Gangnam was partly due to the Shinmin Party wave, but also because the competitors were formidable. Lee Joong-jae of the Minhan Party was a veteran politician with six terms. Lee Jong-gu, a former Hannara Party lawmaker who served three terms in Gangnam-gu, was Lee Joong-jae’s son.

The 1985 general election during the Chun Doo-hwan government was held under conditions heavily favoring the ruling party (Minjung Party), with accusations of government intervention in the election. Finishing third in Gangnam and failing to elect a district lawmaker was a humiliation for the Minjung Party.

Just six days after the 2/12 election results, on February 18, 1985, a reshuffle was carried out, including appointing Noh Shin-young, head of the National Security Planning Agency, as acting prime minister, and replacing ministers in 12 departments. At that time, the Blue House spokesperson conveyed the president’s message: “The new cabinet should meet the public’s expectations for stability and reform.”

The Shinmin Party’s typhoon was fueled by a high voter turnout amid accusations of government intervention and election fraud. The voter turnout in Seoul for the 12th general election was 81.1%. By comparison, the turnout in Seoul for the 20th general election in 2016 was 59.8%, and for the 21st general election in 2020 was about 68.0%. This highlights the intense voter enthusiasm in Seoul during the 1985 12th general election.

Another notable point is that the rejection of the Chun Doo-hwan party in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu did not end with the 12th general election. In the 13th general election in 1988, held under a single-member district system, Minjung Party candidate Jeong Hee-gyeong received only 17.9% of the vote in the Gangnam-gu Gap district.

The Minjung Party candidate again placed third in Gangnam-gu and tasted defeat. In the mid-to-late 1980s, Gangnam in Seoul was a formidable mountain that was by no means easy for conservative parties to conquer.