Leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea cheer as an exit poll projects its landslide win, at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is projected to take a decisive lead in the local lections, 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 conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP) is ahead in just one. Contests in four key cities and regions are too close to call, as of 7 p.m.

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

In Busan, the second-largest city, DPK’s Chun Jae-soo is narrowly leading with 50.2 percent over PPP Mayor Park Heong-joon’s 48.3 percent, but their rates are within the margin or error of 1.7 percentage points to 4.1 percentage points.

In Daegu, long regarded as one of the PPP’s safest bastions, PPP's Choo Kyung-ho is clinging to a razor-thin edge over the DPK’s Kim Boo-kyum, with the exit poll putting Choo at 49.9 percent and Kim at 49.1 percent.

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

In another highly anticipated race, Busan’s Buk-A parliamentary by-election, Han Dong-hoon, the former PPP leader who was once seen as its future before his ousting from the party, is locked in a tight competition with DPK candidate Ha Jung-woo. The exit poll puts Han 41.6 percent and Ha at 42.6 percent, with PPP contender Park Min-shik trailing far behind at 15.8 percent.

But in another exit poll, conducted by another broadcaster JTBC, Han is substantially ahead of his DPK rival, with Han at 48.1 percent and Ha at 37.6 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.

Source: Korea Times News