DP candidate wins key by-election in Seoul’s Gangseo District

The candidate for the liberal Democratic Party (DP) won a key by-election to head Seoul's Gangseo District Office held Wednesday, a race closely monitored as a gauge of voter sentiment ahead of next year's general elections.

Jin Kyo-hoon, center, of the Democratic Party, celebrates at his office in western Seoul over his victory in the by-election to head Gangseo District Office late Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The candidate for the liberal Democratic Party (DP) won a key by-election to head Seoul's Gangseo District Office held Wednesday, a race closely monitored to gauge voter sentiment ahead of next year's general elections.

Jin Kyo-hoon, the DP's candidate, received 56.52 percent of the votes, or 137,066 votes of 500,603 eligible voters in the district, compared to 39.37 percent for his rival from the governing People Power Party (PPP), Kim Tae-woo, according to the National Election Commission (NEC) early Thursday. Jin was 17.15 percentage points ahead of Kim, a double-digit advantage.

Voter turnout was tallied at 48.7 percent, the NEC said.

There were six candidates, though the competition was essentially a two-way race between Jin, a former National Police Agency deputy commissioner general, and Kim, the immediately preceding former Gangseo District chief.

"This election is a victory of common sense, a victory of principles and a great victory for the people of Gangseo District," Jin said. "I will use every minute and second to fill the vacuum and normalize district administration."

Jin, a native of Jeonju in North Jeolla, is a graduate of Korean National Police University and has served in key posts in the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the National Police Agency and as chief of the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency.

Kim in a statement conceded his defeat, apologizing to his supporters and congratulating Jin, asking him to "take good care of the people's livelihood for the development of Gangseo District."

Eligible voters in Gangseo District cast their ballots between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Early voting over Friday and Saturday saw a record turnout of 22.64 percent, the highest for the country's by-elections and local elections. However, turnout on the by-election day in Gangseo was somewhat lower than initial expectations based on the strong early voting figures.

Gangseo in western Seoul is traditionally a liberal stronghold.

Though contesting over a relatively obscure Seoul district office chief position, the PPP and DP have been throwing their full force into campaign efforts in Gangseo as they test the waters in the metropolitan area, the biggest battleground for the April 2023 parliamentary elections.

Jin's election is a victory for DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung, who was released from the hospital Monday while still recovering from deteriorated health from a hunger strike to campaign for his party's candidate.

Last month, the DP-controlled National Assembly passed a motion waiving Lee's immunity to arrest, the first time the parliament consented to arrest the leader of a major political party.

The election victory could help solidify Lee's leadership amid concerns over a growing schism within the party between those supportive of him and those not ahead of the April 2023 parliamentary elections.

Lee has been accused of involvement in land development scandals in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, during his time as the city's mayor, and underwear company Ssangbangwool's illegal cash remittance to North Korea during his time as Gyeonggi's governor.

The by-election comes as Kim, who was elected as Gangseo District chief in local government elections in June 2022, was removed from office in May after the Supreme Court handed him a suspended prison sentence on charges of leaking government secrets gained while working for a special inspection team under the previous Moon Jae-in Blue House.

President Yoon Suk Yeol granted a presidential pardon for Kim in August as a part of his Liberation Day amnesty, reinstating Kim's right to run for office.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]