The political map of the 25 Seoul district mayors flipped 180 degrees after four years. In 2022, the People Power Party captured 17 districts in a landslide, but this time the Democratic Party secured 17, reversing the situation. Although Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of People Power won reelection on the back of a ‘Gangnam bloc vote’, the district mayor results showed the opposite pattern.

According to the National Election Commission count on the 4th, in the vote for Seoul heads of basic local governments held the previous day during the 9th nationwide local elections, the Democratic Party won 17 of the 25 autonomous districts.

The Democratic Party held ten districts where the incumbent district chiefs were Democrats, including Gangbuk, Nowon, Eunpyeong, Seongbuk, Jungnang, Seongdong, Gwanak, Gangseo, Guro, and Geumcheon. It also won back Dobong, Mapo, Dongdaemun, Yeongdeungpo, Jongno, Seodaemun, and Dongjak.

Among the Hangang Belt (Mapo, Yongsan, Yeongdeungpo, Gwangjin, Dongjak, Seongdong, Gangdong, and Jung Districts), the Democrats held Mapo, Seongdong, and Dongjak. In Dongjak, where the Democratic Party, People Power, and the Reform Party staged a three-way race, Democratic candidate Ryu Sam-yeong, a former police officer, won with 45.76%, defeating People Power candidate Kim Jeong-tae (34.84%) by 10.9 percentage points. As incumbent district chief Park Il-ha was cut from People Power nominations and switched to the Reform Party to run, conservative votes were split.

Despite producing the Seoul mayor, People Power managed to keep only eight districts. It took the three Gangnam districts, Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa, where victory had been expected, as well as Gangdong, Jung, Yongsan, Yangcheon, and Gwangjin.

It is noteworthy that in Gwangjin District, long regarded as favorable to the Democrats, incumbent district chief Kim Kyung-ho of People Power won a second term. Gwangjin is seen as one of the areas where the conservative base has been expanding due to real estate factors, including redevelopment.

In Yongsan, People Power candidate Kim Kyung-dae, a three-term district councilor, won 52.31%, beating Democratic candidate Kang Tae-woong, a former first vice mayor for administrative affairs of Seoul, who received 45.98%, by 6.33 percentage points. Kang made his third bid in Yongsan, including two runs for the National Assembly, but could not overcome the strong conservative tilt of the area. Voters appear to have leaned toward People Power amid conflicts between the central government and the Seoul Metropolitan Government over issues such as the Yongsan International Business District and housing supply on the Yongsan Park site.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council also entered a situation opposite to four years ago, with the Democratic Party becoming the majority. The party won 81 of the 118 seats in total (103 constituency and 15 proportional), about 69%, consisting of 73 constituency seats and 8 proportional seats.

People Power secured only 30 constituency seats and 7 proportional seats. Four years ago, it held 76 of the 112 seats in total, or 68%.

With the Democrats regaining majority status, checks on the ninth-term Oh Se-hoon city administration are expected to intensify. There is also an outlook that the relationship between the city government and the council will become a key variable in running the administration going forward.

Including those elected this time, the council now has one five-term member, one four-term member, twelve three-term members, thirty two-term members, and seventy-four first-term members. The five-term member is Councilor Kim Ki-deok (Mapo 4), and the four-term member is Councilor Kim In-je (Guro 2), both from the Democratic Party. By age group, those in their fifties are most numerous at 33, followed by those in their forties at 32, sixties at 29, thirties at 22, and seventies at 2. By gender, there are 75 men and 43 women.