Democratic Party Wins 17, People Power Party 8 in Seoul District Elections... People Power Party Takes 6 of 10 Han River Belt Seats

Democratic Party Reverses '8 to 17' from Four Years Ago

Real Estate Sentiment Divides Han River Districts... Cooperation Remains a Challenge

The Democratic Party of Korea reclaimed local governments by winning 17 out of 25 Seoul district mayoral seats in the June 3 nationwide local elections held on the 3rd. The People Power Party secured 8 seats.

This result is a complete reversal of the outcome from the 8th nationwide local elections four years ago, when the Democratic Party held 8 seats and the People Power Party held 17. However, since Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party was elected Seoul mayor, attention is on how smoothly the Democratic Party's 17 district mayors and the city government will be able to cooperate moving forward.

The regional dynamics are drawing particular attention. The People Power Party showed concentrated strength in key districts along the Han River, leading analysts to conclude that real estate sentiment decisively shaped the electoral landscape in Seoul.

12 Incumbents Re-elected... All Four Three-term District Mayors from Democratic Party

According to the National Election Commission's election statistics system on the 4th, nearly half of the incumbents running for Seoul district mayor in the June 3 nationwide local elections—12 out of 25 (13 including former mayors)—were re-elected. Four secured a third term, and nine were re-elected for a second term. Yoo Dong-gyun, candidate for Mapo District mayor and former mayor during the 7th popular election (2018), won after an eight-year gap.

All four district mayors who secured a third term in this election are from the Democratic Party. Park Junhee (Gwanak), Lee Seungro (Seongbuk), Kim Mikyung (Eunpyeong), and Ryu Kyunggi (Jungnang) received renewed trust from their local residents. Notably, Kim Mikyung became the first female district mayor in the history of Seoul to achieve three terms.

The People Power Party also showed strong performance in the re-election race. Of the nine district mayors who secured a second term, six were from the People Power Party: Lee Soohee (Gangdong), Kim Kyungho (Gwangjin), Jeon Seongsoo (Seocho), Seo Gangseok (Songpa), Kim Gilseong (Jung), and Lee Kijae (Yangcheon). The Democratic Party had three: Jin Gyohun (Gangseo), Jang Inhong (Guro), and Yoo Donggyun (Mapo).

Among the 12 first-time district mayors, the Democratic Party held a commanding lead with 10, while the People Power Party elected two—Kim Hyungi (Gangnam) and Kim Kyungdae (Yongsan). In districts without incumbents, the Democratic Party's organizational strength appeared to play a decisive role.

People Power Party Wins 6 out of 10 in Han River Belt... Real Estate Issues Sway Voters

The most prominent pattern in this election emerged in the Han River belt. Out of the 10 key districts known for their concentrated real estate sentiment—Mapo, Yongsan, Seongdong, Gwangjin, Dongjak, Yeongdeungpo, Gangnam, Seocho, Songpa, and Gangdong—the People Power Party won six: the three Gangnam districts, Gangdong, Gwangjin, and Yongsan. The Democratic Party captured four: Mapo, Seongdong, Dongjak, and Yeongdeungpo.

The prevailing interpretation is that voters along the Han River, who are particularly sensitive to housing prices and redevelopment/regulation policies, supported the opposition. An election expert noted, "The People Power Party performed better in areas densely populated with expensive apartments, and dissatisfaction with real estate regulation policies was a decisive factor in shaping voter sentiment along the Han River."

In this election, Seocho District recorded the highest voter turnout among Seoul's 25 districts at 66.3%. It was followed by Seongdong District at 66.2% and Yangcheon District at 66.1%. The overall average turnout in Seoul was 63.3%. Seocho District had also recorded the highest turnout in Seoul during the 8th nationwide local elections four years ago at 56.0%. This year's 66.3% is a 10.3 percentage point increase from then and surpasses the 66.2% turnout achieved in Seocho District during the first nationwide local elections in 1995 by 0.1 percentage points.

In terms of vote share, Jeon Seongsoo of Seocho District led the People Power Party with 66.40%, followed by Kim Hyungi of Gangnam District with 65.89%. Ryu Kyunggi of Jungnang District from the Democratic Party, who secured a third term, recorded 62.57%.

Although the Democratic Party succeeded in reclaiming a substantial number of Seoul's basic local governments for the first time in four years, there are concerns that cooperation with the city administration may not be smooth, as Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party was re-elected as Seoul mayor. Policy conflicts may surface between the city and district governments in the process of pushing forward city-led redevelopment projects such as 'Moatown', 'Fast-track Integrated Planning', and 'Transit Area Revitalization', as well as welfare and transportation policies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.