[General Election Rivals] Kim Min-seok vs Park Yong-chan Rematch... Who Will Win Yeongdeungpo-eul?

Kim Min-seok Leads by 5.9%P in Election 4 Years Ago
Promises Active Regional Development, Signaling Policy Battle

In the 22nd general election for the Yeongdeungpo-gu Eul constituency, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Min-seok and former MBC anchor Park Yong-chan of the People Power Party faced off. This is a rematch following the 21st general election. Four years ago, the two also competed against each other. In the 21st general election, Kim secured 50.3% of the vote, winning by a margin of 5.9 percentage points.

The constituency is composed of Yeouido-dong, Singil 1-dong, Singil 4-dong, Singil 5-dong, Singil 6-dong, Singil 7-dong, Daerim 1-dong, Daerim 2-dong, and Daerim 3-dong, with election results varying significantly by area each time. In the last election, former anchor Park received 65.0% support in Yeouido-dong, leading Kim by 32.9 percentage points, but lost in all the other neighborhoods.

Kim Min-seok, the Policy Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the party floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Park Yong-chan, the People Power Party candidate for Yeongdeungpo Eul (left), is campaigning with Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman, around the Yeongdeungpo area. (Photo by Park Yong-chan's campaign office)

Instead of just saying the constituency, Kim Min-seok specifically lists the neighborhood names "Yeouido, Singil-dong, Daerim-dong," stating, "Nationally, it is time to judge the current administration, and locally, we must create an opportunity for a new leap forward." He added, "I am determined to win with a sense of mission." Former anchor Park said, "Yeongdeungpo, where I have lived for 50 years, has not escaped total underdevelopment," and "I could not leave this identity unattended, so I stepped forward." He emphasized, "The spirit of this general election is ‘political change,’ and to change politics, we must replace the National Assembly, the main stage of politics."

In this general election, both candidates prominently emphasized regional development. Kim said, "Yeouido, Singil-dong, and Daerim-dong are all undergoing redevelopment in a broad sense, and it is important to set the right direction." He continued, "In Yeouido, I will work to block the relocation of KDB Industrial Bank, attract an international school, and complete Brighton (a mixed-use residential-commercial building). In Singil-dong, I will promote Menakgol Park and the education town project. In Daerim-dong, I will push for the complex development of the Southern Road Office and commercial district development." Regarding his pledges, Kim criticized, "Former anchor Park has not said a word about the relocation of the Industrial Bank, destroyed the possibility of an international school site in Yeouido by the private sale of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) land, and played no role in the development of the Southern Road Office in Daerim-dong."

On the other hand, former anchor Park said, "Yeouido has suffered considerable reverse discrimination," and "During the Park Won-soon administration, redevelopment was halted, so we need to accelerate redevelopment and bring in an international school to complete the financial special zone." He added, "In Singil-dong, as large apartment complexes are being added in many New Town areas, school facilities and public transportation infrastructure must be expanded, and in Daerim-dong, residential environment improvements must be expedited." He also said, "I plan to reveal so-called ‘killer pledges’ and ‘sure-win pledges’ that can make a revolutionary contribution to regional development just before the election."

What are the thoughts of the two candidates facing each other again? Kim said, "I want to be evaluated on our policy capabilities through a proper policy contest," and "This election will be a chance to evaluate and judge the People Power Party’s flawed regional policies." Former anchor Park said, "Many Yeongdeungpo residents ask what Kim has done and contributed to the region during his three terms in Yeongdeungpo Eul," and "I will step forward to provide that evaluation."