The Democratic Party has begun analyzing why it lost the Seoul mayoral race in the June 3 local elections. While the party won nationally by securing 12 of the metropolitan government head positions, the loss of Seoul has been attributed to a shift in real estate sentiment, prompting growing calls inside and outside the party to review property policy as a whole.
According to political sources Friday, Democratic Party lawmakers in the Seoul area assess that reconstruction and redevelopment issues had a significant impact on voter sentiment in the final stretch. "The claim that 'reconstruction will halt if candidate Jung Won-oh is elected' spread mainly through group chat rooms related to reconstruction," one Democratic Party lawmaker said. "An analysis of vote shares by district showed that support rates fell in reconstruction-heavy areas compared with the general election."
Within the party, there is also self-criticism that it failed to sufficiently reflect the demands of voters who want continuity in maintenance projects such as the Rapid Integrated Planning initiative pursued by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.
In the actual mayoral election, Mayor Oh led candidate Jung by about 220,000 votes in the three Gangnam districts and also held an advantage in the Han River belt, including Yongsan, Yangcheon and Gwangjin. In political circles, there is an assessment that the gap in the Gangnam area and the Han River belt determined the overall outcome, along with the view that real estate issues served as the decisive variable.
Kim Hyun-jung, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, also said in a recent radio interview, "Since we fell far behind in areas sensitive to real estate issues such as the three Gangnam districts and Yongsan, Yangcheon and Gwangjin, we need to closely examine the shift in voter sentiment." Regarding the pronounced departure of women in their 30s in Seoul, she diagnosed, "We need to note that this is a group that reacts sensitively to real estate problems."
The Democratic Party plans to form an election evaluation committee this week and publish a local election white paper. Inside and outside the party, real estate policy is expected to be treated as a key issue in the process of analyzing the cause of the Seoul mayoral election defeat.
A Democratic Party floor official said, "We cannot discuss the election results while leaving out the real estate issue." He added, "There are many views that, while maintaining a stance of market stability, we need complementary measures that real demand-driven buyers can feel, such as expanding supply, lease and rent measures, and institutional improvements related to maintenance projects."
