[General Election Battleground] ③ 'New Politics No.1' Yongsan... Itaewon Tragedy Scars as a 'Variable'

Complaints About Noise After Presidential Office Relocation
"Also Dislike the Democratic Party That Keeps Impeaching"
Increase in "Must Vote" After Itaewon Disaster

"The relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan symbolically showed that the Yoon Seok-yeol administration made a wrong first step."

Oh Mo (52), who has lived in Yongsan-gu, Seoul for 24 years, pointed to the presidential office relocation as the starting point where the Yoon Seok-yeol administration failed to gain public support. While taking a walk near Yongsan Park by Ichon Station (National Museum of Korea) on Subway Line 4, Oh said, "Less than a year after relocating the presidential office, the Itaewon tragedy occurred. During the time when President Yoon was a candidate, (Kwon Young-se), who was the second-in-command and served as a gateway for joining the People Power Party, became a minister, so perhaps he neglected his constituency." He added, "Regardless of who the People Power Party nominates in the next election, personally, I expect the outcome to be influenced by the responsibility debate over the Itaewon incident."

Residents met around Yongsan-gu five months ahead of the 22nd National Assembly general election showed high interest in next year's election. Since the presidential office moved in May last year, shortly after President Yoon's inauguration, Yongsan-gu has emerged as a new political center. Moreover, the Itaewon tragedy that occurred in October of the same year placed Yongsan at the heart of political and social turmoil.

The Presidential Office building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul./Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

890-Vote Margin... The Closest Contest in Seoul in the 21st General Election

In the 21st general election, Kwon Young-se of the People Power Party narrowly defeated political newcomer Kang Tae-woong of the Democratic Party by 890 votes (0.66%), marking the smallest margin in Seoul. At that time, while the Democratic Party swept Seoul, Kwon, a senior member of the People Power Party, gained attention by moving constituencies and reclaiming a conservative stronghold. However, when combining votes from progressive parties such as the Justice Party and the Progressive Party, their total surpasses Kwon's votes, making this a district where neither party can claim absolute dominance. Since the 17th general election, former lawmaker Jin Young-jin held the seat for three consecutive terms under the former names of the People Power Party, the Grand National Party, and the Saenuri Party. Jin later left the Saenuri Party, switched to the Democratic Party, and was re-elected in the 20th general election.

Cold Public Sentiment in the Capital Area... Negative Opinion on Presidential Office Relocation

This area recently showed clear negative sentiment toward the government and ruling party. While residents welcomed the revitalization of nearby commercial districts due to the presidential office's move to Yongsan, frequent protests in front of the presidential office caused noise and traffic disruptions, increasing residents' discomfort. A real estate agent, Lee Mo (in his 50s), who requested anonymity, said, "Residents are quiet because they fear property prices might drop, but many complain about the noise from protests in the mixed-use complexes near Samgakji," adding, "Rental properties are hard to lease, and sales are stagnant." Kim Mo (59, female), who was walking her dog near Yongsan Park, said, "I directly voted for President Yoon, so I had high expectations for this administration," but criticized, "I wish for great politics, but it seems they are only absorbed in political strife, and despite the hardships in people's lives, they travel abroad too frequently."

However, traditional affluent neighborhoods in Yongsan such as Dongbu Ichon-dong and Hannam-dong are expected to remain conservative. Due to the comprehensive real estate tax (종부세) burden from the previous Moon Jae-in administration's real estate policies, and ongoing reconstruction projects in the Hannam-dong area, this district saw a significant margin of victory for the People Power Party candidate in last year's presidential and local elections.

"Democrats, Stuck on Impeachment" vs

Yongmun Traditional Market, opened in 1948, was abuzz with merchants and residents chatting about politics in small groups. Jeong Mo (83), who has been doing business here for over 40 years, said, "In the last election, Yongsan was the only place in Gangbuk where the People Power Party won," adding, "That shows how much recognition Kwon Young-se has." Jeong also said, "The Democratic Party keeps talking about impeachment all the time, but if they had the power, they should work to improve people's lives." Elderly people nearby agreed, saying things like, "Lee Dong-gwan (Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission) was just appointed, so why talk about impeachment?" and "Han Dong-hoon (Minister of Justice) is doing well, so why impeach him again?"

Seoul Yongmun Market / Photo by Jang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

However, due to high inflation and living difficulties, there is also a lot of negative perception toward politics. An octogenarian merchant who has been selling at Yongmun Market for 44 years said, "Prices have risen so much that it's hard to do business, but politics does nothing," and added, "I wish young people would just take over (as lawmakers). Older people only look out for their own interests and can't do proper politics."

On the other hand, political interest has significantly increased following last year's Itaewon tragedy. Hong Yu-chang, Vice President of the Itaewon Tourism Special Zone Association, said, "Recently, the Itaewon commercial district has been gradually revitalizing," adding, "There has been a surprisingly quick improvement thanks to political support after that day (the Itaewon tragedy)." Kim Mo (32), who has been running a business in Itaewon for four years, said, "During the COVID crisis, many self-employed people were quite disappointed by the lack of government support," and added, "Seeing the government's quick response after the Itaewon incident, especially the Ministry of SMEs and Startups taking direct action to revive the commercial district, I plan to definitely vote in the next election based on this."

Kwon Young-se's Bid for Re-election in Yongsan?… Opposition Parties Line Up to Run

Within the ruling party, there is speculation that Kwon Young-se may seek re-election in Yongsan-gu. On the opposition side, Kang Tae-woong, the Democratic Party's Yongsan district chairman who narrowly lost to Kwon in the last general election, is making a comeback attempt. Kang, a former Seoul Deputy Mayor, is positioning himself as a "fresh political newcomer" to challenge Kwon. Former Yongsan-gu Mayor Seong Jang-hyun and former Seoul City Council member Noh Sik-rae, both Democrats who have controlled Yongsan-gu Office four times, are also aiming for the National Assembly, making the Democratic Party primary highly competitive. However, some in the opposition argue that since this is the district hosting the presidential office and Kwon is a five-term incumbent, a heavyweight opposition politician should be strategically nominated. Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won and National Assembly Secretary-General Lee Kwang-jae are mentioned as potential candidates.