"Is the Vote Count Still Not Over?" Razor-Thin Races with a 1%P Gap in Seoul, 2%P in Gyeongnam... Ruling Party Wins 12 Regions, Opposition 2 Regions

In the 9th Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections held on June 3, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea has effectively secured victories in 12 regions, while the opposition People Power Party has clinched wins in 2 regions. However, in major battleground areas such as Seoul and Gyeongsangnam-do, the competition between the two parties remains extremely tight.

Seoul mayoral candidates campaigning Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to the National Election Commission on June 4, with 84.25% of the votes counted in the Seoul mayoral race, Democratic Party candidate Jeong Won-oh leads with 49.15%, while People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon follows closely at 48.15%, resulting in a razor-thin margin of just 1.0 percentage point. In the Gyeongsangnam-do gubernatorial race, with 82.79% of the votes counted, People Power Party candidate Park Wansu is ahead with 51.35%, while Democratic Party candidate Kim Kyungsoo has 48.64%, creating a 2.7 percentage point gap between the two.

Democratic Party candidate Kim Kyungsoo, Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do, and People Power Party candidate Park Wansu (in order of ballot number). Yonhap News Agency

Meanwhile, in the other 14 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial elections, the outcomes for both ruling and opposition party candidates are virtually settled. The Democratic Party secured victories in 12 regions—Gyeonggi, Incheon, Gangwon, Chungnam, Chungbuk, Daejeon, Sejong, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam/Gwangju, Busan, Ulsan, and Jeju—while the People Power Party won in two regions, Daegu and Gyeongbuk. As a result, the Democratic Party has achieved three consecutive wins following the previous general and presidential elections.

Jeong Cheong-rae, Chief Secretary and Chair of the Democratic Party Election Committee, along with co-chairs Han Byeongdo and Lee Sijong, are calmly observing the exit poll results on the 3rd at the counting situation room for the 9th Nationwide Local Elections and By-elections for National Assembly members, set up in the National Assembly Members' Office Building. Photo by Yonhap News Agency National Assembly Photo Journalists Group

Jang Donghyeok, Standing Election Countermeasures Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, and Song Unseok, Co-Chairman of the Election Countermeasures Committee, are watching the results of the exit poll for the 9th Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections at the People Power Party’s vote counting situation room set up at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 3rd. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Division. Yonhap News Agency

Meanwhile, in the National Assembly by-elections held alongside this election, the People Power Party and opposition-leaning independents secured a total of five seats. This includes four newly acquired seats in addition to the existing one (Dalseong-gun, Daegu). However, even in this case, the broader pro-government bloc—including the Democratic Party, its allied parties, and opposition-leaning independents—continues to hold more than 180 seats, so the overall balance of power in the National Assembly is not expected to change significantly.

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