Oh Se-hoon outpolled rival even in Seongsu-dong, Jung's political stronghold

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who secured a fifth term by narrowly defeating Democratic Party of Korea candidate Jung Won-oh in the June 3 local elections, won more votes than Jung in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, new tallies show.

Seongsu-dong falls within Seongdong-gu, where Jung served three terms as district mayor and which he considered his political home base. Throughout the campaign, Jung promoted his stewardship of urban regeneration in Seongsu-dong and the broader Seongdong-gu area as one of his signature achievements.

With Seoul's vote count at 98.86 percent, Oh received 14,713 votes in Seongsu-dong to Jung's 13,008, a margin of 1,705 votes, according to figures compiled by the National Election Commission.

Seongsu-dong is divided into four administrative dongs: Seongsu 1-ga 1-dong, Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong, Seongsu 2-ga 1-dong and Seongsu 2-ga 3-dong. Oh led Jung in all four — winning 4,073 votes in Seongsu 1-ga 1-dong, 4,268 in Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong, 3,689 in Seongsu 2-ga 1-dong and 2,683 in Seongsu 2-ga 3-dong. Jung received 3,095 votes in Seongsu 1-ga 1-dong, 4,101 in Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong, 3,318 in Seongsu 2-ga 1-dong and 2,494 in Seongsu 2-ga 3-dong.

Seongsu-dong was a flashpoint throughout the campaign, with both candidates trading sharp words over who deserved credit for the neighborhood's transformation. Jung said his three terms as Seongdong-gu district mayor allowed him to lead urban regeneration projects that preserved Seongsu-dong's distinctive character, and that he introduced the country's first anti-gentrification ordinance, building a sustainable commercial district. He also published a book titled "Seongsu-dong" upon entering the race.

Oh, for his part, has long argued that he laid the groundwork for Seongsu-dong's rise when, in January 2010 during his tenure as the fourth directly elected mayor, he designated the then-rundown factory district as an "IT Industry Development and Promotion Zone," creating the foundation for a convergence of advanced industry and culture. He also repeatedly credited former President Lee Myung-bak's creation of Seoul Forest as a key driver of the area's development. Oh sharply criticized Jung, saying, "Claiming someone else's carefully planted and tended harvest as your own achievement is something to be ashamed of."

Across Seongdong-gu as a whole, Jung came out ahead, winning 83,051 votes — a 51.21 percent share — against Oh's 76,519 votes, or 47.18 percent, a gap of 6,532 votes, or 4.03 percentage points. Looking at individual administrative dongs, Oh led Jung in 9 of the district's 17 dongs, including Geumho 4-ga-dong, Oksu-dong, Wangsimni-doseondong, Haengdang 1-dong and Sageun-dong. In Oksu-dong, Oh won 7,719 votes to Jung's 5,436, a lead of more than 2,000 votes.

Citywide, Oh won the Seoul mayoral race with 49.19 percent of the vote, beating Jung's 48.09 percent by 1.10 percentage points. Oh led Jung in 10 of Seoul's 25 districts — the so-called "Gangnam three" of Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa, as well as Yongsan, Gwangjin, Yeongdeungpo, Dongjak and Gangdong along the Han River belt, plus Jung-gu and Yangcheon-gu. Jung carried the remaining 15 districts, but Oh built margins of roughly 100,000 votes in each of the Gangnam three, more than offsetting his losses elsewhere.