Exit polls project ruling DPK lead in Korea’s June 3 local elections

Politics and elections in Korea can often be dynamic. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is coming apart at the seams even after it won 12 of the 16 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial races. Its approval ratings dipped to 38 percent, surprisingly tailing the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) for the first time since President Lee Jae Myung took office. The president's approval ratings dropped to 51.5 percent, according to a Realmeter survey conducted in the second week of June and announced Monday, while another poll conducted by Jowon C&I showed Lee's approval rate at 47.7 percent, the lowest since he took the presidency. Factional strife may be at work in the DPK. The arrogance of the liberal ruling party, with its current grip on the government and the legislature, leaves it unable to read the sentiment brewing and spreading among young voters. DPK leader Jung Chung-rae is in a tough spot, with the party losing the critical Seoul mayoral race during the June 3 local elections. The president has suggested that Jung take responsibility, saying on social media Sunday

The aftermath of Korea’s June 3 local elections has produced an unusual political landscape, with neither the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) nor the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) able to claim an unequivocal victory. While the ruling party dominated the nationwide race for metropolitan and provincial governor posts, the PPP retained the Seoul mayoralty and secured several key strategic districts, complicating efforts by either side to frame the election as a clear mandate. On paper, the DPK emerged as the clear winner. The party captured 12 of the nation’s 16 metropolitan and provincial chief executive posts, reinforcing its dominance in local government. Such a result would traditionally be regarded as a sweeping mandate. Yet internal debate quickly followed as party members questioned whether the outcome fully reflected public support. Much of the scrutiny has focused on the Seoul mayoral race, where the DPK failed to win control of the capital, the country’s largest and most politically influential local office. The loss, combined with defeats in a few by-elec

The aftermath of Korea’s June 3 local elections has produced an unusual political landscape, with neither the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) nor the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) able to claim an unequivocal victory. While the ruling party dominated the nationwide race for metropolitan and provincial governor posts, the PPP retained the Seoul mayoralty and secured several key strategic districts, complicating efforts by either side to frame the election as a clear mandate. On paper, the DPK emerged as the clear winner. The party captured 12 of the nation’s 16 metropolitan and provincial chief executive posts, reinforcing its dominance in local government. Such a result would traditionally be regarded as a sweeping mandate. Yet internal debate quickly followed as party members questioned whether the outcome fully reflected public support. Much of the scrutiny has focused on the Seoul mayoral race, where the DPK failed to win control of the capital, the country’s largest and most politically influential local office. The loss, combined with defeats in a few by-elec

The verdict delivered by voters in Korea’s local elections was unmistakable. The People Power Party (PPP) suffered a crushing setback, winning only four of the nation’s 16 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial contests after having captured 12 in the previous local elections. While the party narrowly retained the Seoul mayoralty and gained ground in a handful of parliamentary by-elections, these isolated successes cannot obscure the larger reality: The electorate issued a stern rebuke to a party leadership that has consistently refused to confront its own failures. At the center of that rejection stands PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok. The election was widely seen as a referendum on the party’s conduct following the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law crisis and the subsequent impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Rather than engaging in meaningful reflection or pursuing genuine reform, Jang chose to preserve and defend the political forces that had brought the conservative movement to its lowest point in decades. Voters responded accordingly. Yet instead of acknowledging the scale of t

Korea’s June 3 local elections have left both the ruling and opposition parties with wounded leaders who are politically weakened yet unwilling to step aside. Traditionally, a heavy electoral setback prompts party leaders to offer an apology and resign, paving the way for an emergency interim leadership. This time, neither side followed that script. Instead, the chairmen of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the People Power Party (PPP) insist they preserved “hope” or “victory,” even as their leadership and authority are being increasingly questioned by party members. On the surface, the ruling liberal party can claim victory, as Chairman Jung Chung-rae did on Thursday, given that it captured 12 of the 16 top posts of the nation’s metropolitan and provincial offices. But key, symbolic losses have forced insiders to acknowledge that the outcome looks far less reassuring. The most painful blow came in Seoul, where incumbent PPP Mayor Oh Se-hoon defeated DPK candidate Chong Won-o, despite early polls showing Chong’s substantial lead and President Lee Jae Myung’s approv

The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) was expected to win 17 of Seoul's 25 districts, reversing the People Power Party's (PPP) majority sweep in the 2022 local elections. By 9 a.m. Thursday, with most of Seoul's districts having completed counting or surpassed 90 percent of their vote count, DPK candidates had secured or were leading in 17 races, including Jongno and Dongdaemun districts. The PPP had won or was leading in eight, including Yongsan and Gangnam districts. Songpa District, where multiple polling stations ran short of ballots on Wednesday, was still counting as of Thursday morning, but the PPP candidate was expected to win. The outcome marks a reversal of the 2022 local elections, when the PPP won 17 districts to the DPK's eight. Analysts partly attributed the result to voters prioritizing government stability over checking the new administration, as that vote was held just 22 days after former President Yoon Suk Yeol took office. In 2018, the DPK swept all but Seocho District in the district chief races, even prevailing in traditionally conservative Gangnam. The then-ruling pa