Regionalism wanes

Kim Boo-kyum

By Yi Whan-woo

Regionalism and ideological dividisions have long been dominant election issues here, but this time a handful of candidates overcame traditional boundaries to secure suprise victories.

This could be a sign that the influence of such factors on voter sentiment is waning, and people will no longer blindly throw support behind the candidates from their preferred parties.

In Wednesday’s general election, many upset victories came in ruling the Saenuri Party’s traditional stronghold in the southwest of the country ― including Daegu, Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province ― and three affluent areas of the capital region ― Gangnam-B, Bundang-A and Bundang-B.

Some of the surprise wins also took place on main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK)’s home turf in the southwestern Jeolla cities of Jeonju and Suncheon.

In Daegu, Kim Boo-kyum of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) and three independent candidates ― Hong Ui-rak, Yoo Seong-min and Joo Ho-young ― won in four of the 12 constituencies.

The Saenuri Party had swept all 12 districts in the previous general election in 2012.

Kim Boo-kyum, already a three-term lawmaker, secured a landslide victory, garnering 84,911 votes or 62.3 percent of the total in Suseong-A in Daegu against Kim Moon-soo of the ruling party with 37.7 percent.

Hong, a former MPK lawmaker, led Yang Myung-mo of the Saenuri Party 52.3 percent to 39.3 percent in Buk-B.

Reps. Yoo and Joo defeated their respective Saenuri Party contenders after defecting from the party to protest the party’s decision to not field them as candidates amid a nasty factional feud.

Yoo led Lee Seung-chun of the MPK 75.7 percent to 24.3 percent for a comfortable win in Dong-B after Saenuri Party did not field a candidate there in an attempt to not stir up internal strife any further.

Joo collected 46.8 percent of the votes in Suseong-B, winning over Saenuri’s Lee In-sun with 35.5 percent.

In Busan, non-Saenuri Party candidates won in six of the 18 constituencies, up from two in the 2012 parliamentary elections.

The six districts included Yeonje, where MPK’s Kim Hae-young won over Saenuri Party’s Kim Hee-jung 51.6 percent to 48.4 percent.

Kim Hee-jung had served as Minister of Gender Equality and Family under the Park Geun-hye administration and she was seen as a Park ally.

In Sasang, Chang Jae-won, an independent candidate, won the race by collecting 42,924 votes or 37.5 percent of the total.

He led second-placed Bae Jae-jung of the MPK and Sohn Su-jo of Saenuri Party.

Sohn, 31, entered politics in her 20s with support from the President. She only collected 26.6 percent of the votes for a third-place finish.

In South Gyeongsang Province, the Saenuri Party conceded three of 16 parliamentary seats, up from two four years ago.

One of the three contenders against the ruling party was Roh Hoe-chan of the minority Justice Party. Roh, also a two-term lawmaker, merged his candidacy with a MPK candidate and led Kang Gi-yun of the Saenuri Party 51.5 percent to 40.2 percent in the Changwon-Seongsan district.

In Ulsan, three independents candidates ― Kim Jong-hun, Yoon Jong-oh, and Kang Ghil-boo ― triumphed, preventing Saenuri Party from winning in all six districts.

In Bundang-A, a part of Gyeonggi Province, entrepreneur-turned-politician Kim Byung-kwan of the MPK drew 47 percent support to win over the Sanuri Party’s Kwon Hyuk with 38.5 percent. Kwon was former Financial Supervisory Service chairman.

In Bundang-B, also in Gyeonggi Province, Kim Byung-wook of the MPK defeated Saenuri’s Jhun Ha-jin who sought to be reelected.

In Gangnam-B, southern Seoul, Jeon Hyun-hee of the MPK beat diplomat-turned-politician Kim Jong-hoon of Saenuri.

Lee Jung Hyun, who was the only Saenuri Party lawmaker in the opposition stronghold of the Jeolla region, won a second term in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province.

In Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, Chung Woon-chun of Saenuri led Choi Hyung-jae of the MPK by 0.1 percentage points ― 37.5 percent to 37.4 percent.

Chung was an agriculture minister under former President Lee Myung-bak.