Voter Turnouts in Seoul Area Finally Determines the Election

Voters in Seoul and its vicinities, which account for 109 district seats, have finally chosen the Open Uri Party (OUP).

According to the preliminary vote collection at midnight on April 16, the Open Uri Party and the Grand National Party held sway in 76 and 33 districts respectively, showing that the liberal Open Uri Party had a 2.3 fold lead over the conservative GNP. Other parties including the Millennium Democratic Party didn’t win a single seat in the Seoul area.

A landslide victory of the OUP in the Seoul area made it possible to win more than half seats nationwide. At the beginning, the OUP previously announced that winning the majority would be possible if it defeated the GNP by a 7-4 margin.

In Seoul--Seoul was distinctly divided into northern parts of Seoul, where the OUP was strong, and the wealthier southern parts where the GNP was strong as a whole.

In the northern parts, the OUP has succeeded into the MDP’s realm, which is analyzed as a strong effect after parliamentary impeachment.

Choo Mi-ae (candidate for Gwangjin district), chief campaign manager, and Rep. Kim Kyung-jae of the opposition MDP had to drain the cup of bitterness due to the surging approval rate for the OUP.

The OUP fought magnificently in the northern parts of Seoul, and the candidates for the GNP also fought well in the central districts including number one political district Jongro, Junggu and Yongsan district.

In Junggu, central Seoul, the GNP candidate Park Sung-beom seized a chance for victory rather early. Park Jin of Jongro district and Jin Young of Yongsan district overturned the situations against OUP’s Kim Hong-shin and Kim Jin-ae after a close fight. The analysts say that “figure centered persuasion” was effective to catching the voters’ sentiment.

In Dongdaemun B district, the GNP candidate Hong Jun-pyo reversed the OUP candidate Heo In-hoe by 1,000 votes in the so-called “return match.”

In Seodaemun A,B districts and Gangseo B district, OUP and the rival GNP were in close combat past midnight.

GNP has depended on the Gangnam districts such as Seocho A and B, and Gangnam A and B districts, and cleaned up its popular districts, Songpa A and Yangcheon A districts. Among the impeachment ambience, GNP has revived its legend of “Gangnam Invincibility.”

Incheon – In the Seoul metropolitan district, the votes in the Incheon district have fluctuated so much. The candidates of the GNP and the OUP have competed intensely. Although at the first stage, the Open Uri Party’s overwhelming victory has been predicted, and the fighting of the GNP’s candidates has materialized.

Among all 12 electoral districts, three districts--Yeonsu-gu, Namdong A, Namsoe-Ganghwa B-- have elected GNP candidates. In Namdong A, the competition continued until the end, and seven other districts gave full support to the OUP’s candidates.

Kyunggi – OUP has taken the western districts of Kyunggi Province, which were regarded as the MDP’s districts. In the new cities of western Kyunggi, OUP’s candidates compete well against the GNP’s candidates, seesawing back and forth. The MDP’s candidates have given up their lead to the OUP’s candidates, being virtually eliminated.

In Sungman Sujung, Sungnam Jungwon, Anyang Manan, and Anyang Dongan A, the OUP’s candidates confirmed their victories. The OUP has also swept the northern Kyunggi Province including the Euijeongbu districts. Taking the lead with the ambience of the opposition to the impeachment, the OUP has intercepted the wave of GNP’s chief Park Kuen-hye and the side effects of OUP’s chief Jung Dong-young’s absurd remarks against the old people.

In particular, GNP’s candidate, Hong Sa-deok, who took charge of the seat of deputy parliamentary speaker, was defeated by Open Uri Party’s Han Myoung-suk in Goyang Ilsan A district where the GNP’s popularity was believed to be relatively stronger than in the other districts.

Except for Bundang districts, the traditional districts of pro-GNP, the GNP’s candidates, who are currently holding their seats in the Parliament, have managed to obtain their lead in the election. Bucheon Sosa’s Kim Moon-su and Suwon Paldal’s Nam Kyung-pil, Echeon-Yeoju’s Lee Kyu-tack, Gapyoung-Yangpyoung’s Jung Byung-kook are the representative examples.

Yeon-Wook Jung jyw11@donga.com