[General Election Rivals] Third Face-off... Who Will Win in 'Dobong-gu Eul', Kim Seon-dong or Oh Ki-hyung?

20s Kim Seondong, 21s O Gihyung Alternate Victories
GTX-C Line Underground Debate: Each Claims "I Did It"

The third showdown between Oh Ki-hyung, the Democratic Party candidate, and Kim Seon-dong, the People Power Party candidate, has been set in the Dobong-gu Eul district of Seoul for the 22nd general election. Kim is seeking revenge for losing the Dobong-gu Eul seat to Oh in the previous 21st general election, while Oh is fighting to defend his position.

On the afternoon of the 6th, Oh secured his candidacy for the Democratic Party in Dobong-gu Eul by defeating former Blue House spokesperson Kang Min-seok in the party primary. Although Kang received a 20% bonus as a political newcomer, he could not overcome the incumbent Oh. On the morning of the 7th, Kang posted on Facebook, “Congratulations to candidate Oh on his victory,” and added, “Please transfer your expectations of me to candidate Oh and prove that this primary was a beautiful new beginning.”

In the 20th general election, Kim defeated Oh by a margin of 7.3 percentage points and was re-elected as the member of the National Assembly for Dobong-gu Eul, following his initial win in the 18th general election. The two candidates also faced off in the 21st general election, where Oh won with 53% of the vote against Kim’s 45.6%, a 7.4 percentage point difference. In the upcoming 22nd general election, the two candidates will compete again to break the 1-1 tie and either defend or reclaim Dobong-gu Eul.

Dobong-gu Eul is considered a tough district for the People Power Party, but since the 17th general election, the seat has alternated between the two major parties, making a close race expected.

Before the Democratic candidate was confirmed, Kim expressed confidence in a phone interview with Asia Economy, saying, “It doesn’t matter whether it’s candidate Oh or former spokesperson Kang.” He added, “Oh was elected when the president, Seoul mayor, and district mayor were all from the Democratic Party four years ago.” Currently, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Dobong District Mayor Oh Eun-seok are both members of the People Power Party.

Kim emphasized, “During the previous administration, only the Dobong section of the GTX-C line was spared from underground construction to save budget,” and continued, “But after the regime changed, I took a firm stance that this (above-ground installation) would never be allowed and succeeded in achieving underground construction.” He also highlighted his and the ruling party’s achievements, including persuading the Han River Basin Environmental Office to relax local height restrictions and extend the Uisinseol Line.

GTX-C Groundbreaking Ceremony
Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, Oh claimed that the ‘underground construction of the GTX-C line’ was his achievement. In a phone interview on the 7th, he said, “This election will be an evaluation of what I have done over the past four years,” adding, “For a year and a half, I filed a request for an audit with the Board of Audit and Inspection and conducted a signature campaign with residents to restore the GTX-C line, which had been above ground, back underground.”

Regarding the ‘rematch’ with Kim, Oh said he would engage in a fair competition. He stated, “Kim is not someone who engages in political strife, so I consider him a good competitor,” and described their relationship as “a competition carried out with decorum.” However, he added, “We need to debate what role Kim played and what stance he took regarding the delay in the design of the Uibanghak light rail.” He continued, “The Uibanghak light rail was expected to begin construction in 2022 but was delayed significantly after Mayor Oh Se-hoon took office,” emphasizing, “Mayor Oh should honestly apologize and promptly allocate the budget.”