[General Election Battleground] Yuseong's Opposition Internal Conflict, Ruling Party's Hopeful Train to Daejeon

⑦ Daejeon·Sejong - Daejeon Yuseong-gu Eul
Opposition figure Lee Sang-min's district, fierce competition within the opposition
Ruling party's tailored strategy to seize the opportunity to reclaim Yuseong under consideration

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 major regions nationwide. This analysis focuses on areas where close contests between the ruling and opposition parties took place, where major candidates are running, or where internal party competition is intense, dividing the country regionally for a detailed examination.

Daejeon Metropolitan City and Sejong Special Self-Governing City were allocated 7 and 2 seats respectively based on the 21st general election. In the last election, the Democratic Party of Korea swept all seats in both regions, securing all 9 seats. However, public sentiment shifted following last year’s presidential and local elections.

The People Power Party is preparing various counterattack scenarios with the plan to secure at least half of the seats. The most closely watched district in Daejeon is Yuseong-gu Eul. Yuseong-gu Eul is the political stronghold of Lee Sang-min, a representative of the non-Lee Jae-myung faction (non-Myung faction) within the Democratic Party of Korea.

The equation “Daejeon Yuseong = Lee Sang-min” has been established as he has successfully won five consecutive terms in Yuseong-gu alone. He is expected to run again in the 22nd general election next year, but the party primary has emerged as a variable. Internal challengers threatening Lee Sang-min’s position have appeared one after another, and the party’s internal public opinion is also a significant factor.

On July 18th, at the Special Committee on Personnel Hearings for the Consent to the Appointment of Supreme Court Justices held at the National Assembly, Chairman Lee Sang-min is conversing with Assembly members Park Joo-min and Jang Hye-young.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The internal conflict within the Democratic Party is an opportunity for the People Power Party. For the People Power Party to realize its counterattack scenario in Daejeon, victory in the Yuseong-gu Eul district is essential. A strategy that exploits the opposition’s internal divisions to build a foundation for victory is required.

In the 21st general election in 2020, Democratic Party candidate Lee Sang-min won comfortably with 55.9% of the vote. United Future Party candidate Kim So-yeon received 37.0%, and Justice Party candidate Kim Yoon-gi got 6.6%.

However, in the 2022 presidential election, People Power Party candidate Yoon Seok-youl received 48.7% in Yuseong-gu, while Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung received 47.5%. Although the overall sentiment in Yuseong-gu and the sentiment in the Yuseong-gu Eul district cannot be considered identical, this result indicates a shift in public opinion compared to the last general election.

From the ruling party’s perspective, this is an encouraging sign to raise expectations for winning the Yuseong-gu parliamentary seat in this election.

The key issue is which candidate the Democratic Party will nominate and how well it can manage internal conflicts during the candidate selection process. Looking at the Democratic Party’s candidate pool, incumbent Lee Sang-min and former Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jung are both mentioned as potential candidates.

Lee Kyung, the Democratic Party’s full-time deputy spokesperson classified as pro-Myung faction, is making her presence felt with a clear political stance. In addition, several other candidates, including former Daejeon City Council member Jeong Ki-hyun, are also being mentioned as potential candidates for Yuseong-gu Eul.

The most fiercely contested Democratic Party district in Daejeon is Yuseong Eul.

The People Power Party’s potential candidate attracting attention is Jeong Sang-cheol, former president of Chungnam National University and current Yuseong Eul party committee chairman. Former Daejeon Mayor Park Seong-hyo is also being watched for a possible run. There are also expectations that former lawmaker Shin Yong-hyun and former Deputy Minister of Education Kim Shin-ho will enter the ruling party’s nomination race.

In the Justice Party, former vice-chairman Kim Yoon-gi may run.

Yuseong Eul was a district where the Democratic Party won by nearly a 20 percentage point margin in the last general election, but it is transforming into a district where both ruling and opposition parties expect victory in next year’s election.

Whether the Democratic Party can smoothly manage the nomination process and which challenger the People Power Party selects will likely determine the next member of the National Assembly from Yuseong Eul.