Ruling Democratic Party Crushes Opposition People Power Party in Local Korean Elections
Have conservatives in South Korea ever been this weak politically before? The stain of the Yoon presidency continues to impact conservative candidates to the benefit of the Democratic Party who will likely win 13 of 16 major races to include ousting the PPP mayor of Seoul:
This composite photo, taken June 3, 2026, shows lawmakers and officials of the ruling Democratic Party (top) and the main opposition People Power Party watching exit poll results for the local elections in Seoul. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) was poised for a sweeping victory in the local elections in a crushing defeat for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), interim vote counting showed Thursday, a result expected to give President Lee Jae Myung a stronger mandate in his second year in office.
The DP was projected to win as many as 13 of the 16 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial posts at stake, while the PPP was headed to secure two key races, according to early ballot counts by the National Election Commission (NEC).
Eleven out of the 16 key races were called or close to being called as of 3 a.m., with the ruling party winning 10 of the 11 races. The DP was also ahead in three of the rest of the five races where it was still too close to call.
Wednesday’s elections were held exactly one year after the Lee administration took office on June 4.
A clear victory for the ruling party would likely solidify the government’s mandate to push forward with its reform measures, while dealing a blow to the embattled PPP as it struggles to rebuild conservative support following former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s ouster.
It would also mark a sharp turnaround in voter sentiment from four years earlier, when the then ruling PPP had claimed 12 out of 17 major gubernatorial and mayoral positions in the last local elections. The 2022 local elections were held a month after Yoon took office.
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