Seoul district mayor map flips: Democrats win 17, PPP holds 8

The Democratic Party of Korea swept Seoul's district mayor races, flipping the city's political map from 17 People Power Party seats and 8 Democratic Party seats to the exact reverse — 17 for the Democrats and 8 for the PPP.

According to the National Election Commission on Thursday, the Democratic Party held its existing eight districts — Seongdong, Jungnang, Seongbuk, Gangbuk-gu, Nowon, Eunpyeong, Gangseo and Guro — and added nine more, including Jongno, Dongdaemun, Dobong, Seodaemun, Mapo, Yeongdeungpo and Dongjak. The PPP secured wins in eight districts: Gangnam, Seocho, Songpa, Gangdong, Yongsan, Jung-gu, Yangcheon and Gwangjin-gu. As late as 2 a.m. Thursday, the Democratic Party had been leading in 21 of the 25 districts and appeared on the verge of a clean sweep, but the PPP staged comebacks in Yongsan, Yangcheon, Gwangjin-gu and Gangdong as counting continued.

The Democratic Party won across its traditional strongholds in southwestern and northern Seoul. In Guro, Democratic candidate Jang In-hong was elected with 51.97 percent of the vote, while Choi Gi-chan secured victory in Geumcheon. In Gwanak, Democratic candidate Park Jun-hee defeated PPP rival Lee Nam-hyeong to win a third term. In Gangseo, Jin Kyo-hoon won re-election over PPP candidate Kim Jin-seon. In Yeongdeungpo, Cho Yu-jin defeated PPP candidate Choi Ung-sik. In Eunpyeong, Kim Mi-gyeong became the first woman elected to a third term as district mayor. In Jungnang, incumbent district mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi secured re-election. In Gangbuk-gu, Jeong Chang-su won the seat — a district that had drawn attention after the PPP withdrew its initial candidate over controversy surrounding his past legal defense of a child sex offender and scrambled to field a replacement.

The Democratic Party extended its reach into the Han River belt by winning Dongjak and Mapo. The PPP had campaigned in those development-sensitive riverside districts on a platform of deregulating urban renewal projects and accelerating redevelopment, but Democratic candidates countered with their own pledges of fast-tracked redevelopment. Ultimately, public sentiment favoring support for President Lee Jae Myung and the ruling party carried the day. In Mapo — a rematch between the district's seventh- and eighth-term mayors that drew wide attention — Democratic candidate Yoo Dong-gyun won with 53.97 percent. In Dongjak, which became a three-way race after PPP incumbent Park Il-ha ran as an independent following his party's deselection, Democratic candidate Ryu Sam-yeong won the seat.

The PPP successfully defended its traditional strongholds in the four Gangnam districts and Yongsan. In Seocho, PPP candidate Jeon Seong-su won re-election with 66.40 percent, defeating Democratic rival Hwang In-sik, who received 33.60 percent. In Gangnam — where incumbent district mayor Jo Seong-myeong had been cut from the PPP ticket — Kim Hyeon-gi won with 65.89 percent, clinching victory early in the count. In Songpa, PPP candidate Seo Gang-seok defeated Democratic candidate Jo Jae-hee, and in Gangdong, incumbent district mayor Lee Su-hee won re-election.

In Yongsan, PPP candidate Kim Gyeong-dae won with 52.31 percent, defeating Democratic rival Kang Tae-ung. The race drew attention as a contest between Kang, who stepped down from a higher-profile candidacy to run in the district, and Kim, making his second bid for the post. In Gwangjin-gu, incumbent district mayor Kim Gyeong-ho of the PPP won re-election with 52.44 percent.

Seongdong was another closely watched district, as voters chose a successor to Democratic Seoul mayoral candidate Jeong Won-o. Yoo Bo-hwa, the Democratic candidate who fought through a competitive primary to reach the general election, defeated PPP rival Ko Jae-hyeon. Seongdong was the first district where PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok had campaigned in person at the start of the election season, and former President Lee Myung-bak had also lent his support by walking through Seoul Forest alongside Ko.