SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) -South Korea's ruling Democratic Party of Korea holds a strong lead in 11 out of 16 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial races, according to joint election-day exit polls released Wednesday. The projected outcomes position the party to expand its local administrative power as President Lee Jae-myung enters the second year of his term.
The nationwide vote serves as the first major electoral test for the Lee Jae Myung administration, a critical midterm referendum on his first year in office. A decisive victory would grant the ruling party a unified mandate across administrative, legislative, and local levels, while a defeat for the opposition People Power Party could trigger immediate leadership restructuring.
In the high-profile race for mayor of Seoul, the country's capital and primary political barometer, ruling party candidate Jung Won-oh leads opposition incumbent Oh Se-hoon by 51.4 percent to 46.0 percent. Control of the capital is historically viewed as a critical prize in South Korean elections due to the city's massive population and economic influence.
Broadcasters classified several major regions as tight contests, including the southern port city of Busan and the metropolitan city of Daegu, which is traditionally regarded as the heart of South Korean conservatism. In the Daegu mayoral race, opposition candidate Choo Kyung-ho holds a razor-thin lead over ruling party candidate Kim Boo-kyum by 49.9 percent to 49.1 percent.
In Busan, the ruling party's Jeon Jae-su maintains a narrow edge with 50.2 percent over the opposition's Park Hyung-jun at 48.3 percent. Meanwhile, the North Jeolla gubernatorial race shows the ruling party's Lee Won-taek leading independent candidate Kim Kwan-young by 48.5 percent to 46.3 percent.
A separate prediction survey released by cable network JTBC projected the ruling Democratic Party of Korea to win 10 seats and the conservative opposition to win one seat. The network classified five regions as battlegrounds, listing Daegu, Chungnam, Chungbuk, Jeonbuk, and Gyeongnam as too close to call.
The joint exit polls, conducted by major terrestrial broadcasters KBS, MBC, and SBS, were released simultaneously at 6 p.m. as polling stations closed across South Korea.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
