Active Duty and Female Legal Professionals Face Off in Seoul Gangdong-gu Gap... "I Really Don't Know" Tense Battle [General Election Hotspot] (20)

Lawyer Jin Sun-mi VS Judge Jeon Ju-hye
Local residents say "Completely even, need to see the outcome"
'Traffic' as top priority, pledges include construction of second government office and gymnasium

In Seoul Gangdong-gu Gap, two female candidates are engaged in a fierce battle. Coincidentally, the two candidates share many similarities. Jin Sun-mi, the Democratic Party candidate, is a lawyer, while Jeon Ju-hye, the People Power Party candidate, is a former judge. Both have roots in the legal profession. Their birthplaces are also adjacent, with Jin from Sunchang-gun, Jeonbuk Province, and Jeon from Gwangju Metropolitan City. Jin entered the National Assembly as a proportional representative in the 19th general election and served as the Gangdong-gu Gap representative in the 20th and 21st National Assembly. Jeon began her legislative career as a proportional representative for the United Future Party in the 21st general election and has been strengthening her local base as the Gangdong-gu Gap party committee chair since last year. Residents of Gangdong-gu Gap describe the election contest between the two candidates as "neck and neck."

Jin Sun-mi, the Democratic Party candidate (left), and Jeon Ju-hye, the People Power Party candidate (right), are each conducting election campaigns. [Photo by Jin Sun-mi and Jeon Ju-hye offices]

"I really don't know"... Tight grassroots public sentiment

On the 29th, voters met around Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, often predicting a win for one side but quickly changing their minds to "I don't know." Jo, who runs a restaurant in Myeongil Traditional Market, said, "Still, this time I think we should try to change," adding, "Candidate Jeon has appeared a lot on TV, and a few days ago, In Yo-han, the People’s Future campaign committee chair, even came to our store." However, Jo also said, "But since Candidate Jin has been working continuously, I don't know. Jin is literally like the friendly neighbor lady, a comfortable representative," conveying the ambiguous election atmosphere. An elderly voter, Ahn (74), met at a nearby shopping area, said, "I support Candidate Jin, but whether she will win or not, we have to wait and see," forecasting the election result as "completely fifty-fifty."

Some voters said they would vote in their constituency according to their party preference. Do, 76, who moved from Jongno-gu, Seoul, to Godeok-dong three years ago, said, "Democracy is party politics, so you vote for the party," and argued, "The Democratic Party is a group that staged political demonstrations, not a pro-democracy movement." He added, "People in their 60s and 70s always vote for the right-wing." Another voter, Kim, living in Godeok-dong, said, "Looking at what President Yoon is doing now, I cannot vote for the People Power Party," emphasizing, "They even arbitrarily changed the highway route in Yangpyeong."

On the 29th of last month, citizens were shopping at Myeongil Traditional Market located in Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul.
Photo by O Ji-eun

Constituency adjustments and apartment redevelopment cause voter shifts as 'variables'

Young voters met locally analyzed that there are particularly many variables in this general election. Park, 26, who identified himself as a "native of Gangdong-gu," said, "It's a close race, but the change in the constituency is one variable," predicting, "With the population adjustment, Gildong was removed, which might be slightly disadvantageous for Candidate Jin." He added, "Still, the sentiment to judge the current administration is strong, so toward the end of the election, Candidate Jin might gain more..." trailing off. Like the earlier voters, he expressed that no one's victory can be guaranteed.

He also said, "Before Candidate Jin came, the Hannara Party and Saenuri Party won here," and "When Candidate Jin first won, the margin was about 3%, not a large difference." In fact, in the 20th general election, Candidate Jin received 43.79% of the vote, narrowly defeating Saenuri Party's Shin Dong-woo, who got 40.98%, by 2.81 percentage points.

Banners of candidates Jin Sun-mi and Jeon Ju-hye are hung near Exit 4 of Myeongil Station on Seoul Subway Line 5.
Photo by Oh Ji-eun joy@

Kim, 23, who has lived in Sangil-dong and Myeongil-dong since age four, said, "This neighborhood has been Democratic Party-leaning, but recently, the conservatives seem more aggressive in their campaigns." He said, "Candidate Jin has invested a lot of effort in this area, so if she hasn't made any particular enemies, she will get votes," but noted, "The key will be how many elderly and young conservative supporters have moved into the new housing complexes." He added, "From my work at an academy, I feel that in the past, many residents had a village-like identity, but nowadays, the identity as 'new apartment residents' has definitely grown," and "I often meet parents with a strong passion for education."

Conservative forces strengthened in Gangdong-gu voting sentiment

Earlier, some voters mentioned Candidate Jin's "constituency premium," but recently, the voting sentiment in Gangdong-gu has been trending toward stronger conservative forces. In the 2022 presidential election, Yoon Seok-yeol, then the People Power Party candidate, received 51.27% of the vote in Gangdong-gu, beating Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, who received 44.43%, by 6.84 percentage points. Narrowing the scope to Gangdong-gu Gap voters, the margin is even larger. Excluding out-of-district early voting, Yoon received 53.41% and Lee 42.69% of the votes from Gangdong-gu Gap residents.

Top common priority is 'transportation,' "Second Gangdong District Office" vs. "Expansion of complex cultural infrastructure"

Both candidates cited "transportation" as the top priority issue in Gangdong-gu Gap. Especially regarding the "GTX-D line confirmed for Gangdong-gu," each claimed, "We did it." Jeon’s side stated, "The decision to route GTX-D through Gangdong-gu was thanks to the collaboration between the Gangdong District Mayor and the party committee chair," presenting this as their greatest achievement. In response, Jin’s side said, "We pledged this promise four years ago," adding, "We fulfilled the pledge, so now it just needs to be brought to Godeok Station; it's absurd." Jin proposed a "new light rail construction project," while Jeon proposed increasing trains on lines 5, 8, and 9 as additional transportation pledges.

Jinseonmi candidate's campaign office and Jeon Juhye candidate's campaign office located near Seoul Eastern Technical Training Center.
Photo by O Ji-eun joy@

Following transportation, Candidate Jin emphasized establishing a "Second Gangdong District Office." Jin’s side promised, "Currently, the Gangdong District Office is located on the border between Gangdong-gu and Songpa-gu," and "We will relocate three economic-related departments to the newly developed Godeok Biz Valley and build an economic government building." They explained, "This will create an environment where companies can move in."

Candidate Jeon emphasized "expanding complex cultural infrastructure." Jeon’s side said, "We are already renting another building next to the Gangdong District Office and sharing it, so is there a need to build a new one?" and "Gangdong-gu is a 'bedroom town,' so rather, we will build parks and increase cultural and sports facilities so residents can enjoy leisure." They added, "We will build a gymnasium and create a specialized street for prestigious school districts."