Extract
[...] This regional loyalty has been confirmed again in 2022, where the candidate Lee Jae-myung achieved particularly high scores in these provinces. Through this electoral choice, the inhabitants of Jeolla continue to express, forty years after Gwangju, their attachment to the recognition of past injustices and their will to preserve democratic memory. On the other hand, the Gyeongsang region, particularly around cities like Busan or Daegu, has maintained its loyalty to the conservative camp embodied today by the People Power Party (PPP). [...]
[...] This geographical polarization is so pronounced that it gives South Korean electoral maps a quasi-predictive aspect. It reveals a true invisible political border crossing the country from north to south, clearly demarcating the conservative territories to the east from the progressive territories to the west. More than a simple partisan choice, the vote in these regions appears as a deep expression of regional and identity affiliations, inherited from a troubled history. This persistence of the East-West regional divide is also reflected in the electoral strategies of the parties themselves. [...]
[...] Politically, the Minjoo Party is mainly anchored in the southwestern regions, particularly in the Jeolla provinces, historically marginalized by conservative authoritarian regimes. This region has been a real electoral stronghold for progressives for several decades, providing the party with a solid and loyal base. However, over time, the party has managed to expand its electoral base by gradually winning over urban middle-class voters, young graduates, and an increasingly growing number of citizens concerned with social and economic issues, thus going beyond its historical regional boundaries. In 2022, the Minjoo Party chose Lee Jae-myung as its presidential candidate. [...]
[...] Despite these nuances, the 2022 presidential election once again confirms the persistence of this geographical and historical fracture as a major determinant of South Korean politics. Thus, understanding the vote in this country necessarily involves taking into account this East-West division, rooted in a still-vibrant collective memory and a still-affirmed regional identity. - Illustration: a 2022 electoral map showing the East-West divide II. Socio-economic factors and urbanization: contrasting dynamics shaping South Korean voting behavior. In parallel to historical and regional fractures, socio-economic factors play a crucial role in understanding South Korean electoral dynamics. [...]
[...] In fact, despite massive urbanization and a unified national market, local particularisms, particularly economic and social, remain decisive in electoral choice. As the course on political geography notes, territorial unification and cultural homogenization carried out by modern states are not enough to erase deep regional and economic disparities, as the South Korean presidential election perfectly illustrates. Thus, to fully understand the electoral geography in South Korea, it is essential to analyze jointly the historical, regional, and socio-economic dimensions that structure the vote. [...]
