[Politics That Day] 'Pyongyang Style' Taeyongho's Prime Days... Apgujeong-dong Gave Him a Landslide Vote

Former Charg? d'Affaires at North Korean Embassy in UK Appointed to Gangnam
Considering Gangnam Conservative Sentiment? Due to Fluent English?
Taeyongho Lost Nonhyeon 1(il)-dong and Yeoksam 1(il)-dong but Won Apgujeong by a Landslide

Editor's Note‘Politics, That Day...’ is a series planning corner that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to notable scenes, events, and figures that deserve attention.

"The Nomination Management Committee, after much strategic consideration, judged Gangnam-gap to be the most suitable."

This was stated by Kim Hyung-o, then chairman of the Future United Party's (predecessor of the People Power Party) Nomination Management Committee on February 27, 2020. The Future United Party's selection of Tae Yong-ho (then candidate name Tae Gumin), a former North Korean embassy official, as its candidate for the Seoul Gangnam-gap constituency was a major focal point of the 21st general election.

Nomination is war. Even if one cultivates grassroots public opinion in a specific constituency for 4, 8, or 12 years, it is politically difficult to receive a nomination certificate. One must receive the party's nomination to expect election, but obtaining the nomination certificate is challenging.

Not all nominations are the same. Places where just running guarantees victory are like gold. Many vie for those spots. Candidates with competitiveness and political credentials engage in fierce competition. Among the 253 constituencies nationwide (based on the 21st general election), there are surprisingly few that both ruling and opposition parties consider "safe winning districts."

At that time, for the Future United Party, Seoul Gangnam was exactly such a prized constituency. Just putting up the People Power Party banner there would vertically increase the chances of winning. Naturally, attention focused on who would be nominated.

After much strategic consideration, the Future United Party assigned the spot to candidate Tae Yong-ho. In political circles, questions followed: "Why Tae Yong-ho?" It was not easy to find a connection between Seoul Gangnam and Tae Yong-ho, who is from North Korea.

Within the party, it was assessed that conservative voters in Gangnam would support him because he took the lead in criticizing the North Korean power elite. Some also focused on his credentials as a fluent English-speaking former North Korean diplomat.

Tae Young-ho, the newly appointed Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, is delivering his acceptance speech at the party's 3rd national convention held on March 8 at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

It was not the first time a defector was nominated in politics, but it was the first time such a coveted constituency was given to one. What is clear is that the selection of candidate Tae Yong-ho carried political significance. His nomination symbolized the Future United Party's strategy to strengthen its conservative colors in the general election.

Considering the local sentiment in Gangnam comprehensively, the party could have chosen a candidate who followed an elite domestic career path, but they concluded with the nomination of Tae Yong-ho.

Candidate Tae Yong-ho's election was not difficult. The Democratic Party of Korea fielded Kim Seong-gon, a four-term candidate and former chairman of the National Defense Committee, but breaking through the Gangnam wall was tough. Kim Seong-gon secured 39.6% of the vote.

Tae Yong-ho was elected with 58.4% of the vote. However, analyzing the detailed vote rates in the Gangnam-gap constituency shows that there were areas where Tae Yong-ho lagged behind.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In Nonhyeon 1-dong and Yeoksam 1-dong, candidate Kim Seong-gon led over Tae Yong-ho.

Despite these deficits, Tae Yong-ho comfortably won because there were areas where he showed absolute strength. Apgujeong-dong, Cheongdam-dong, and Sinsa-dong are representative examples. In particular, Apgujeong-dong gave Tae Yong-ho 11,565 votes, while Kim Seong-gon received 3,046 votes. This means Tae Yong-ho received more than three times the votes of Kim Seong-gon in Apgujeong-dong alone.

Apgujeong-dong had also given a landslide vote to Lee Jong-gu, the Saenuri Party (predecessor of the Future United Party) candidate, in the 2016 20th general election. However, at that time, Lee Jong-gu received 8,301 votes in Apgujeong-dong.

Apgujeong-dong has traditionally had a strong conservative voting tendency, and Tae Yong-ho received more votes there than the 2016 Saenuri Party candidate did.

Apgujeong-dong is an apartment-dense area with complexes such as Hyundai Apartments and Hanyang Apartments, and is one of Seoul's representative affluent neighborhoods. Residents are very interested in apartment reconstruction issues, and conservative parties have historically been strong in elections there.

Although there were concerns that the nomination controversy might cause conservative candidates to struggle in Gangnam, Tae Yong-ho became the victor based on the solid support from Apgujeong-dong.