The border you can't see: How Honam and Yeongnam came to shape Korean politics
Honam and Yeongnam are at the center of Korea’s regional political divide. Here’s how history, economic development and elections turned Jeolla and Gyeongsang into rival strongholds.
People campaign to eradicate regionalism in politics in central Seoul in an undated photo. The banners people are holding and wearing reads "stop black propaganda and [so-called] color politics."JOONGANG ILBO
On Monday, President Lee Jae Myung said that “Honam lags far behind Yeongnam” during his presser. Weeks earlier, Democratic Party chief Jung Chung-rae likened Honam to a parent of the liberal party and said that the party would strive to repay the region's loyalty through what he called "filial politics.”
The Honam and Yeongnam regions are not technically real or administrative districts. Instead, they are divided by an abstract border. The demarcation, however, is so firm that it divides not just the region but the area’s politics.
At its core, Honam refers to the present-day Jeolla region, and Yeongnam refers to the Gyeongsang region. But on a deeper level, the areas perpetuate a divide that has continued since the earliest days on the peninsula.
Honam encompasses Gwangju, North Jeolla and South Jeolla, a largely southwestern region. Yeongnam, meanwhile, covers the southeastern cities of Busan, Daegu and Ulsan, as well as North and South Gyeongsang.
Similar regional designations exist in the upper parts of the country. The Chungcheong region is traditionally known as Hoseo, while Gangwon is divided into Yeongseo and Yeongdong, the western and eastern areas of Mount Taebaek, respectively.
Where did the distinction and names come from?
People stage a rally to eradicate politicians who stir up regionalism in politics and encourage people to vote regardless of their regional affiliation in an undated file photo.JOONGANG ILBO
The regional distinction can be traced back more than a millennium, when the kingdoms of Silla (57 B.C.-935 A.D.) and Baekje (18 B.C.-660 A.D.) occupied what are now broadly known as the Yeongnam and Honam regions, respectively. Baekje was later absorbed into the Silla Kingdom, which went on to unify much of the Korean Peninsula.
The names themselves date back to the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) and are rooted in geography rather than politics.
Honam literally means "south of the Ho River," the historical name for the Geum River, which flows between South Chungcheong and North Jeolla, according to the Ministry of Education. Yeongnam means the south of Mount Joryeong attached to Mount Sobaek.
When did geography become politics?
Then-liberal party chief Kim Dae-jung waves his hands at a political rally held in Gwangju in the Jeolla region in 1988.JOONGANG ILBO
Regional rivalry remained largely dormant until the 1960s. What changed was a powerful mix of economic resources and political ambition.
Then-President Park Chung Hee, a native of North Gyeongsang, launched an ambitious five-year economic development plan centered on manufacturing and export-led growth. Many of the country's heavy industries and key infrastructure projects were concentrated in the Yeongnam region, while Honamsaw most of its policies concentrate on the agriculture sector.
Why can't Gwangju turn red?
The trigger was the 1971 presidential election, when incumbent President Park faced liberal challenger Kim Dae-jung, a South Jeolla native.
The then-conservative bloc coined the campaign phrase to "establish the Gyeongsang government." In response to the narrative, Kim was portrayed as a contender to challenge Park's Yeongnam-centric state governance and who could represent the political aspirations of voters in the Honam region. The competition between two key candidates expanded into a regional war of nerves, a battle that was ultimately won by the incumbent president.
Changes in regional leads of top two candidates in presidential electionsNAM JUNG-HYUN
Park’s dictatorship continued until the late 1970’s, which did little to address Honam’s grievances around being left out of development initiatives and state support.
Those sentiments deepened after the violent suppression of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, a pro-democracy movement in the Jeolla region. The then-sitting president was Chun Doo Hwan, a South Gyeongsang native who rose to power through a military coup after Park’s death.
The regional divide became even more pronounced after democratization in 1987.
Since 1988, Korea's electoral map has been remarkably stable: Honam votes overwhelmingly for liberal candidates, and while Yeongnam's South Gyeongsang, Busan and Ulsan occasionally become battleground regions, Daegu and North Gyeongsangremain among the country's most reliable conservative bastions. These voting patterns turned regional strongholds into safe territory for rival parties.
Even in the 2020s?
Results of the local elections 2026. Liberal regions are colored in blue, while conservative regions are colored in red.NAM JUNG-HYUN
Nearly four decades later, regional loyalty remains one of the most enduring features of Korean politics. While much of the country has evolved into swing states, Honam and Yeongnam have largely remained loyal to their ideological camps.
The pattern was visible even in recent elections.
In both the June 3 local elections and the snap presidential election a year earlier, Yeongnam remained largely loyal to conservative candidates despite the political turmoil triggered by ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law. Unsurprisingly, Honam remained liberal.
