An exit poll worker interviews voters outside a polling station in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is projected to take a clear lead in the June 3 elections, with an exit poll showing the party ahead in a majority of key races.

According to a joint exit poll, released at 6 p.m. by three major broadcasters, KBS, MBC and SBS, DPK candidates are leading in 11 of the nation’s 16 mayoral and gubernatorial contests, while the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is ahead in just one. Races in four key cities and regions are too close to call.

In the closely watched Seoul mayoral race, DPK candidate Chong Won-o is projected to win with 51.4 percent, outpacing incumbent PPP Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who stands at 46 percent.

In Busan, the second-largest city, the race is neck-and-neck, with DPK’s Chun Jae-soo narrowly leading with 50.2 percent over PPP Mayor Park Heong-joon’s 48.3 percent within the margin of error, according to teh exit poll.

In the Gyeonggi gubernatorial race, Choo Mi-ae, former DPK chairwoman and former justice minister, is projected to post a commanding lead at 60.4 percent against PPP rival Yang Hyang-ja’s 34.1 percent.

In the local elections, voters cast their ballots to fill a total of 4,227 posts, including 16 provincial governors and metropolitan mayors, 16 education superintendents, 227 heads of lower-tier local governments such as district offices, 933 metropolitan council seats and 3,035 lower-tier council seats. Voting took place from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 14,288 polling stations nationwide, with about 44.6 million people eligible to vote.

According to the National Election Commission, voter turnout stood at 57.4 percent as of 5 p.m., compared to 47.6 percent at the same hour during the previous local elections in 2022.

Earlier polls indicated a win for DPK candidates in many as 15 of the 16 gubernatorial and mayoral posts. More recent ones, however, showed that PPP or independent candidates narrowing the gap with their DPK rivals in roughly five to seven races.

The commission said results in races with wide margins could become clear around midnight, while tighter contests may not be decided until between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Thursday. It added that this year’s count is likely to take longer than in the 2022 elections, mainly because of a manual verification step introduced in 2024, in which counting staff double-check ballots after they are sorted by machines.

Source: Korea Times News