Choo Mi-ae, the Democratic Party candidate for Gyeonggi Governor, celebrated on June 3 after exit polls indicated she was leading her opponent, Yang Hyang-ja of the People Power Party, by a significant margin. In contrast, Yang's campaign office was enveloped in heavy silence.
Choo arrived at the election headquarters in Suwon around 5:55 p.m. to monitor the exit poll results alongside members of her campaign team.
Among those present were Kim Tae-nyeon, the head of her campaign committee, as well as lawmakers Kim Seung-won, Park Sang-hyuk, Kim Young-jin, Baek Hye-ryun, Yeom Tae-young, and Choi Min-hee, along with former lawmakers Yang Gi-dae and Ko Young-in.
As the exit poll results were about to be announced by MBC, KBS, SBS, and JTBC, Choo and her supporters joined in a countdown of "5, 4, 3, 2, 1." When the overwhelming results were revealed, they erupted in cheers and applause, exclaiming "Wow!"
The exit polls from the three major broadcasters showed Choo with 60.4% of the vote compared to Yang's 34.1%. JTBC's prediction was slightly lower for Choo at 56.4% and higher for Yang at 37.2%, indicating a significant lead of 19.2 to 26.3 percentage points beyond the margin of error.
All attendees stood up, raising their thumbs and chanting "Choo Mi-ae" multiple times. Choo beamed with joy, celebrating her apparent victory and exchanging high-fives with key supporters, including Kim Tae-nyeon.
After monitoring the exit poll results from other regions, Choo and her supporters chanted "A confident Gyeonggi" and "A strong Choo Mi-ae" around 6:20 p.m. before she left the headquarters without making a formal statement.
Choo plans to return to the headquarters to announce her position once her victory is confirmed.
In contrast, the campaign office for Yang Hyang-ja on the fifth floor of the People Power Party's Gyeonggi headquarters in Suwon fell into a heavy silence immediately after the exit poll results were announced. Attendees wore solemn expressions, and deep sighs were heard.
Yang, who was monitoring the results from another location, will decide whether to visit the headquarters after observing the vote count.
In contrast, the campaign office for Yang Hyang-ja on the fifth floor of the People Power Party's Gyeonggi headquarters in Suwon fell into a heavy silence immediately after the exit poll results were announced. Attendees wore solemn expressions, and deep sighs were heard.
Yang, who was monitoring the results from another location, will decide whether to visit the headquarters after observing the vote count.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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