South Korea exit polls show sweeping local election win for Lee's party
SEOUL, June 3 (UPI) -- South Korean voters overwhelmingly cast their ballots for the ruling Democratic Party in nationwide local elections Wednesday, exit polls said, in a show of support for President Lee Jae Myung one year into his term.
Lee's Democratic Party was projected to win 11 of the 16 key races in Wednesday's elections, according to a joint poll conducted by broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS. The opposition People Power Party was projected to take only one seat, while four races were too close to call.
A separate poll by broadcaster JTBC found the Democratic Party projected to win 10 of the key races.
The vote was the first nationwide test since Lee took office last June, when he won the presidency in a snap election after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over his botched martial law attempt.
On the ballot were 16 mayoral and gubernatorial races, along with thousands of local government and council seats. Fourteen parliamentary seats were also up for grabs in by-elections.
In one of the most closely watched contests, Democratic Party candidate Chong Won-o was projected to win the Seoul mayoral race with 53.5% of the vote against incumbent Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party with 42.9%, according to the JTBC poll.
Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, was also projected to go to the Democratic Party with candidate Jeon Jae-soo expected to win 53.9% of the vote against the PPP's Park Heong-joon with 44.4%.
Ahead of the election, pollsters had projected the Democratic Party to win the majority of contests amid Lee's soaring approval ratings, which stood at 64% in a Gallup Korea poll released May 22. The question for many observers was how resounding the victory would be.
"Thanks to high presidential approval, Democratic Party candidates are expected to win in many regions across the entire country," Heo Jinjae, the research director at Gallup Korea, said in a briefing with foreign media last week. "If the Democratic Party wins in Seoul and Busan, then we can say it has achieved a decisive victory."
Voters turned out in high numbers at 14,288 polling stations around the country on Wednesday after a record early voting period last week. When the polls closed at 6 p.m., more than 27.1 million people, or 60.8% of eligible voters, had cast a ballot, according to the National Election Commission. The previous round of local elections, in 2022, had a turnout rate of 50.9%.
Lines were steady at a polling station in Seoul's Dongjak District on Wednesday afternoon, as many voters stressed the election's significance.
"I think the election is even more important because of the current economic situation in Korea and the chaotic global situation," Min Ji-song, 36, said. "I think this is the most important turning point in determining the direction of the country."
Lee decisively won the presidential election last year in the wake of Yoon's impeachment and removal from office and has maintained strong approval ratings since.
His administration has won praise for its handling of economic issues and has been buoyed by a stock market rally that has pushed benchmark indexes up roughly 90% since the beginning of the year.
And while opponents have long portrayed the left-leaning Lee as a progressive firebrand, he has surprised some observers with his self-described "pragmatic diplomacy" in addressing challenges ranging from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs to relations with neighboring Japan and the fallout from the Middle East crisis.
If the projections are confirmed, the results would be widely seen as a vote of confidence in Lee's first year in office and could strengthen his hand as he pursues domestic reforms and navigates challenges at home and abroad.
However, Lee and the Democratic Party still face significant tests, including slowing economic growth, increasingly contentious labor relations and regional security threats.
The projected losses are likely to intensify pressure on the People Power Party, which has struggled to rebuild after Yoon's removal from office and defeat in last year's presidential election.
Final results were expected overnight, with several races remaining too close to call.
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 5:11 AM.