Democratic Party Cheers “Wow” at Lead in 11 Exit Polls... Jeong Cheongrae Remains Expressionless

Lee Yeonhee Says, "Public Wants Stability Under Lee Administration"

On June 3, the Democratic Party of Korea erupted in applause and cheers after exit polls for the 9th National Simultaneous Local Elections indicated the party was leading in 11 out of 16 metropolitan mayor and governor races. However, the party leadership maintained a cautious demeanor as the results were announced.

That day, Jeong Cheongrae, the party leader and chief of the election campaign committee, along with Han Byungdo, co-chairman of the committee, Cho Seungrae, head of the election campaign headquarters, and other party officials and lawmakers, gathered in the main conference hall of the National Assembly Members' Office Building, where the vote counting situation room had been set up, just before polls closed at 6 p.m.

Jeong Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is watching the exit poll results at the 9th National Simultaneous Local Elections Counting Center set up at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 3rd. Photo by Yonhap News

According to exit polls conducted by the three major broadcasters—KBS, MBC, and SBS—the Democratic Party was shown to be leading in 11 out of 16 races for metropolitan mayor and governor, with the People Power Party leading in 1 race and 4 races too close to call. The Democratic Party leadership responded with applause and cheers, with some even raising their arms in celebration.

There was especially loud cheering from Democratic Party lawmakers when candidate Jeong Wonoh was shown to be leading in the Seoul mayoral race with 51.4%, ahead of Oh Sehoon of the People Power Party, who had 46%.

There was also applause and cheers when hopes rose for victory in Bukgap District of Busan—an area left vacant after former Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Jae Soo ran for mayor of Busan. In Bukgap District, Democratic Party candidate Ha Jeongwoo had 42.6%, People Power Party candidate Park Minsik had 15.8%, and independent candidate Han Donghoon had 41.6%, making it a tight race with less than a 1% difference between the leading candidates.

In Daegu, known as the “heart of conservatism,” there were sighs throughout the situation room after Democratic Party candidate Kim Boo Kyum trailed People Power Party candidate Chu Kyungho by a narrow margin—49.1% to 49.9%. In the Pyeongtaek-eul constituency of Gyeonggi Province, when Cho Kuk of the Rebuilding Korea Party had 31.1%, Yoo Eui-dong of the People Power Party had 30.6%, and Kim Yongnam of the Democratic Party had 30.3%, there were audible groans of disappointment.

Despite the cheers in the situation room, Jeong Cheongrae and Han Byungdo maintained a relatively cautious attitude. Throughout the announcement of the results, Jeong kept his fingers interlaced and stared expressionlessly at the TV screen. Han observed the results with a calm expression, occasionally clapping softly or clasping his hands together.

Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party, is watching the exit poll results at the 9th Nationwide Local Elections Vote Counting Situation Room set up at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 3rd. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Lee Yeonhee, a lawmaker who serves as both director of the Democratic Party’s central election campaign situation room and head of strategy, commented on the high turnout, saying, “We see the public sentiment as both Democratic Party supporters and moderates who want stability for the government turned out to vote to support the Lee Jaemyung administration and to strengthen the driving force for stable governance.”

Lee added, “The Pyeongtaek-eul race is extremely close, within the margin of error and under 1%, so we won’t know the result until the very last ballot is opened. I still hope our candidate, Kim Yongnam, will be elected.”

Regarding the ultra-tight race for governor of North Jeolla Province, Lee said, “We humbly accept the sentiment of the people of North Jeolla. Going forward, the party will work harder and listen more closely to local voices to address regional issues together with the eventual winner.” The North Jeolla governor’s race drew attention as the incumbent ran as an independent; Democratic Party candidate Lee Wontak had 48.5%, while independent candidate Kim Kwanyoung had 46.3%, making it a neck-and-neck contest within the margin of error.

On the ballot shortage incident that occurred in Songpa District, Seoul, just before polls closed, Lee said, “I learned about it from the breaking news,” and urged the National Election Commission to resolve the issue swiftly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.