Democrats dominate Gyeonggi Province, but PPP holds Yongin and Seongnam

The Democratic Party of Korea secured 19 of 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province — home to more than 14 million people and the country's largest metropolitan administrative unit — in Thursday's local elections for basic government chiefs. The People Power Party held on to symbolically important cities including Yongin and Seongnam, however, preventing the contest from becoming a one-sided rout.

According to the National Election Commission's vote count Thursday, the Democratic Party won in Suwon, Goyang, Hwaseong, Bucheon, Namyangju, Anyang, Siheung, Paju, Gimpo and 10 other cities and counties, while the PPP took Yongin, Seongnam, Ansan, Hanam, Gwacheon, Uiwang, Pocheon, Gapyeong, Yeoncheon and three others. Compared with the 2022 local elections — when the Democratic Party won just nine seats and the PPP took 22 — the Democrats gained 10 and the PPP lost 10.

While the Democratic Party succeeded in reversing the overall count, analysts said the result fell short of the sweeping victory the party had anticipated. The PPP, for its part, maintained its presence by defending eastern and northern Gyeonggi Province as well as several key cities.

Political observers noted that one defining feature of this race was that voters did not move in lockstep between the provincial and municipal levels. Gimpo drew particular attention: Democratic candidate Lee Ki-hyung defeated incumbent PPP Mayor Kim Byeong-su, reclaiming a city the party had lost in the previous election.

In Yongin, by contrast, incumbent PPP Mayor Lee Sang-il won re-election, holding what analysts described as a critical southern anchor for the party. Retaining Yongin amid a broader Democratic wave across major cities carried significant symbolic weight for the PPP.

Yongin is more than just a large city — it sits at the center of industrial and development policy in southern Gyeonggi Province, with major projects concentrated there including a national semiconductor industrial complex, Platform City, and expansions of road and rail networks.

Seongnam was another race that came to define the Gyeonggi results. Incumbent PPP Mayor Shin Sang-jin defeated Democratic candidate Kim Byeong-wook to win re-election.

Seongnam has long been regarded as symbolic territory for Democratic-aligned political forces, not least because of its association with President Lee Jae Myung. With the PPP winning there for the second consecutive election, analysts said the city can no longer be considered a safe Democratic stronghold.

Looking at the broader picture, the Democratic Party swept a belt of southwestern and central cities — including Suwon, Hwaseong, Bucheon, Anyang, Gwangmyeong, Siheung, Pyeongtaek and Paju.

The PPP, meanwhile, held the southeastern corridor of cities with strong access to Seoul — Yongin, Seongnam, Hanam, Gwacheon and Uiwang — along with the northeastern and outer fringe of the province, including Gapyeong, Yeoncheon, Yangpyeong, Pocheon and Yeoju.

For the Democratic Party, winning 19 seats is a solid numerical result, but failing to recapture politically symbolic cities such as Seongnam and Yongin remains unfinished business. Notably, in Ansan — a city with a strong progressive lean — incumbent PPP Mayor Lee Min-geun defeated Democratic challenger Cheon Yeong-mi to win re-election.