[Political X-File] Conservative Politics That Hit the Lotto with 70% Vote Share in Jeonnam

④ Lee Jeong-hyun Saenuri Party Candidate, 70% in Gokseong
July 30, 2014 By-election Jeonnam Suncheon·Gokseong
Writing a New Chapter in Conservative Politics, Honam Election Legend

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min]

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

Those who watched the vote count that day were left speechless. They witnessed a historic moment when the fixed notions of elections were shattered. On July 30, 2014, the by-election in Suncheon-Gokseong, Jeonnam, conservative politics caused a major upset in Honam. The figure who rewrote Korean political history was politician Lee Jung-hyun.

He challenged the Honam parliamentary seat as a candidate of the Saenuri Party (predecessor of the People Power Party). He was a figure with extensive political experience in conservative parties. He had been active in the Democratic Justice Party (Minjungdang) since the 1980s. It is hard to find a current politician with longer party service experience than politician Lee Jung-hyun.

The problem was that the constituency he challenged was Honam, a political stronghold of the Democratic Party-affiliated parties. Considering the deeply rooted pro-Democratic Party sentiment, the consensus was that it would be difficult based on personality alone. It was seen as a reckless challenge akin to throwing eggs at a rock. That was the view in Yeouido political circles.

The central government failed to grasp the signs of change occurring in Honam (Gokseong, Jeonnam). Candidate Lee Jung-hyun built his base through grassroots election campaigns. With his characteristic cheerful smile, he connected with the sentiments of the elderly.

Although he had served as the President’s Chief Secretary, during the election he appeared as nothing more than a countryside uncle. He rode a bicycle along rural roads meeting voters. Politician Lee Jung-hyun is a native of Gokseong, Jeonnam.

His hometown people focused more on the candidate himself than his party affiliation, which brought changes to the election landscape.

At that time, Suncheon and Gokseong were combined into one constituency, but the number of voters in Suncheon was about eight times larger. Suncheon had 215,479 voters, while Gokseong had 26,819. This was why it was analyzed that even a strong performance in Gokseong would not be enough to win.

However, politician Lee Jung-hyun’s momentum extended beyond his hometown Gokseong to Suncheon. Especially, the wave in Gokseong was very strong. The vote count results proved this.

Former Saenuri Party leader Lee Jung-hyun is being interviewed by Asia Economy on April 8, 2022. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

Politician Lee Jung-hyun overwhelmingly defeated Saejeongchi Minjuyeonhap (New Politics Alliance for Democracy) candidate Seo Gap-won in Gokseong. Lee Jung-hyun’s vote share in Gokseong reached an impressive 70.6%. This was a record landslide victory for a conservative party candidate in Jeonnam.

Even in populous Suncheon, Lee Jung-hyun secured 46.22% of the votes, while Seo Gap-won had 42.92%, maintaining the lead. Ultimately, Lee Jung-hyun won with a total of 60,815 votes and a vote share of 49.4%, tasting the joy of victory.

The shockwave of that day, when Jeonnam embraced a Saenuri Party politician, shook the Yeouido political circles. He emerged as the protagonist who created a miracle against the wall of regional politics. The reason to pay attention to the July 30 by-election is that it presented a way for conservative parties to survive in Honam.

The July 30 by-election was not a coincidence. Politician Lee Jung-hyun ran again in the 20th general election in 2016, this time in the Jeonnam Suncheon constituency, not his hometown (Gwangyang-Gokseong-Gurye), under the Saenuri Party banner. He was re-elected with a 44.5% vote share in Suncheon.

Politician Lee Jung-hyun’s political stature grew based on the July 30 by-election, and in 2016 he rose to the position of Saenuri Party leader.

The election results that politician Lee Jung-hyun showed in Suncheon-Gokseong are recorded in Korean political history as an achievement that broke the deeply rooted regional political structure between Yeongnam and Honam.