South Korea’s ruling liberal party secured a majority of victories in Wednesday’s local elections, yet suffered a significant setback with the loss of the crucial Seoul mayoral contest.
The outcome complicates efforts to solidify president Lee Jae Myung’s political mandate, despite his party’s broader success.
The Democratic Party had been widely anticipated to dominate many of the races. This expectation stemmed from the conservative People Power Party remaining in disarray following the removal from office and imprisonment of former president Yoon Suk Yeol for his martial law debacle in late 2024. However, experts noted that, given the favourable political landscape, the Democratic Party should have clinched the Seoul mayoral race to claim an outright victory.
With nearly all votes tallied by Thursday morning, the Democratic Party won 12 of the 16 mayoral and provincial gubernatorial posts available. The PPP secured four, including the pivotal Seoul mayoral race. Democratic Party leader Jung Chung Rae described his party’s defeat in Seoul as “painful”, although he expressed gratitude to voters for their support in other contests.
The election results coincide with Mr Lee’s one-year anniversary in office, having won a snap election triggered by Mr Yoon’s ouster. Mr Lee’s approval ratings remain robust, exceeding 60 per cent. He has been lauded for his “pragmatic diplomacy”, which has allayed concerns that his presidency might strain ties with the US and Japan. His popularity is also attributed to a booming stock market and increased transparency in government decision-making.
While Mr Lee’s foreign policy agenda was expected to remain consistent after the Democratic Party further strengthened its parliamentary majority by winning nine of the 14 byelections on Wednesday, securing more allies in mayoral and gubernatorial positions was crucial for his domestic governance. This is particularly pertinent given that the PPP currently holds 14 of the 16 regional leadership posts. Choi Jin, director of the Seoul-based Institute of Presidential Leadership, suggested that local allies would enable Mr Lee to pursue regional policies more effectively, aiding his party’s preparations for the 2028 parliamentary elections.
Much attention focused on the Seoul mayoral race, where exit polls and early results initially showed Democratic Party candidate Chong Won O ahead of incumbent mayor Oh Se Hoon. However, Mr Oh dramatically overtook Mr Chong as more votes were counted by Thursday morning. In his acceptance speech, Mr Oh declared: “Seoul’s future has become brighter. Our citizens ensured that the Republic of Korea does not tilt excessively toward one direction and preserved Seoul as democracy’s last safeguard.”
Mr Chong, in a separate news conference, conceded defeat, stating he “heavily and humbly” accepted the result.
The race in Seoul wasn’t without controversy as disputes erupted on Wednesday night after the election commission announced a shortage of ballot papers at some polling stations, leading to a temporary suspension of voting.
PPP leader Jang Dong Hyeok claimed the incident “seriously hurt voters’ rights” and demanded a new election pending investigation results.
The Democratic Party, however, flatly rejected these demands, deeming them “not even worth considering”.
Meanwhile, PPP continued to grapple with internal feuding between reformists, who supported the Democratic Party’s push to impeach Mr Yoon, and loyalists who sought to protect the former leader. Among the parliamentary byelection winners was Han Dong Hoon, a leader of the reformist faction who was eventually expelled from the PPP and became an independent.
Mr Han defeated the Democratic Party’s Ha Jung Woo, a former adviser to Mr Lee on artificial intelligence, in Busan, the country’s second-largest city.
Jeong Han Wool, director of the Korean People Research Institute, said Mr Han’s victory could help anti-Yoon reformists regroup and emerge as a new force among South Korea’s struggling conservatives. Conversely, Mr Choi suggested Mr Han’s win might exacerbate the conservative divide, prompting Yoon loyalists to close ranks further out of a sense of crisis.