[General Election Battleground] The Gyeonggi-do Nomination Battlefield Is Right Here... Bundang-gap, Goyang-gap

②Gyeonggi-do - Seongnam Bundang-gap, Goyang-gap
Bundang-gap, Who Will Get the Nomination Between Ahn Cheol-soo and Kim Eun-hye of the Democratic Party?
Goyang-gap, Continued Challenges Between Ruling and Opposition Parties in the Justice Party Stronghold

Editor's NoteThe 22nd general election on April 10 next year is just over six months away. We explore the electoral landscape by visiting key battlegrounds across the country to gauge the district-level dynamics. We analyze the nation region by region, focusing on areas where the ruling and opposition parties have closely contested races, where major candidates are running, or where internal party competition is intense.

Gyeonggi Province is emerging as a powder keg for the 22nd general election. Not only is there a confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties, but a fierce strategic battle over nominations has already begun within the parties.

Who the ruling and opposition parties will nominate and how the results will affect the general election are expected to determine the political landscape after the 22nd general election. Based on the 21st general election, Gyeonggi Province is the largest electoral district with 59 seats allocated.

The representative key constituencies in Gyeonggi Province are Bundang-gap in Seongnam City and Goyang-gap in Goyang City. Not only the People Power Party and the Democratic Party of Korea but also other opposition parties such as the Justice Party are putting in significant effort.

An interesting point is that Bundang-gap and Goyang-gap are places where prominent politicians from both ruling and opposition parties, who have previously run as presidential candidates, are preparing to run in the 22nd general election.

Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, is leaving the press conference room after declaring his candidacy for party leader at the National Assembly on the 9th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

First, Bundang-gap is the constituency of Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Power Party, who was elected through a by-election held alongside the nationwide local elections on June 1 last year. Various speculations are circulating within the ruling party about whether politician Ahn Cheol-soo will be nominated for the 22nd general election. There have even been rumors about him running in so-called 'difficult districts' such as Seoul.

However, Ahn Cheol-soo has shown his intention to run in his own constituency, Bundang-gap. On the 12th, through social media (SNS), Ahn proposed to Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party leader who was then on a hunger strike, to "stop the political hunger strike and have a genuine showdown in Bundang-gap in next year's general election."

While this appears to be a political message directed at the opposition leader, it is also a message to the pro-Yoon Seok-yeol faction within his own party. It signals that his intention is to stay in Bundang-gap and that he should not be pressured to run in another district.

Bundang-gap was the district where Kim Eun-hye, currently serving as the presidential office's chief spokesperson, ran and won in the 21st general election in 2020. Kim Eun-hye, who ran as the candidate of the United Future Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party), won with 50.1% of the vote. Bundang-gap has traditionally been a stronghold of conservative parties, but the last election was a close contest.

The Democratic Party fielded candidate Kim Byung-kwan, who secured a high vote share of 49.3%, but failed to overcome Kim Eun-hye's stronghold. However, as politician Kim Eun-hye shifted her focus to run for governor of Gyeonggi Province, the district seat became vacant, and politician Ahn Cheol-soo became the incumbent member of the National Assembly for that area.

Although Ahn Cheol-soo is firming up his intention to run, there is also a possibility that Kim Eun-hye, the original district member, may run again. If the so-called 'Yoon's mind (President Yoon Seok-yeol's intention)' is perceived to favor Kim Eun-hye, a tight contest is expected in the party's primary.

There is also speculation that even if Kim Eun-hye returns to Yeouido, she might choose Plan B, such as running in Bundang instead of Bundang-gap. The key interest lies in who the People Power Party will select as the candidate for Bundang-gap and whether they can resolve any conflicts during the nomination process.

For the Democratic Party, it is a matter of interest whether former incumbent Kim Byung-kwan will run again in the 22nd general election. If Kim Byung-kwan cannot run, the Democratic Party faces the question of whether to deploy a political heavyweight in the difficult district of Bundang-gap or to compete with a local politician.

There is also a possibility that Ryu Ho-jeong of the Justice Party will run in Bundang-gap. Ryu Ho-jeong has strong ties to Bundang, and if she chooses a district, Bundang is considered her top choice. However, the specific district and the manner of running in the general election have not yet been finalized.

Sim Sang-jung, the Justice Party's presidential candidate, is appealing for support at the finale campaign rally held on March 8, 2022, in front of Sangsangmadang in Hongdae, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Goyang-gap is a symbolic district for progressive politics, where politician Shim Sang-jung won the 19th, 20th, and 21st general elections as a candidate of the Unified Progressive Party and the Justice Party. For the Justice Party, losing Goyang-gap is an unthinkable scenario.

If Shim Sang-jung wins again in the 22nd general election, she could immediately emerge as a candidate for the Speaker of the National Assembly, making it a politically significant battleground. Given that the People Power Party and the Democratic Party are also putting effort into Goyang-gap, it is expected to be the hottest competitive district in Gyeonggi Province.

The People Power Party is paying attention to the possible candidacy of politicians familiar with the local situation, such as Kwon Soon-young, the Goyang-gap party committee chairman. There is also an opinion that Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong should run in Goyang-gap, regardless of his own will.

Regarding the possibility of Won Hee-ryong running, Shim Sang-jung said, "Clench your molars tightly. It will hurt a lot," showing her fighting spirit.

The Democratic Party is showing even greater interest in Goyang-gap. Moon Myeong-sun, former senior vice chairman of the National Financial Industry Labor Union and local committee chairperson, former Goyang Mayor Lee Jae-jun, and Kim Seong-hoe, director of the political research institute 'Y,' are all interested in competing for the nomination in Goyang-gap.

There is expected to be an uncompromising competition among Moon Myeong-sun, who has election experience from the last general election, Kim Seong-hoe, classified as pro-Lee Jae-myung faction, and former Mayor Lee Jae-jun, who served until last year.

Once the candidates from the People Power Party, Democratic Party, and Justice Party are confirmed, the Goyang-gap election is expected to proceed as a fierce three-way contest.