Ruling Democratic Party dominates early vote counting in S. Korea's local elections SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) - Early vote counting for the June 3 local elections shows the ruling Democratic Party taking the lead in 14 of 16 metropolitan and provincial races, including the Seoul mayoral election. The conservative People Power Party is leading in only one region, North Gyeongsang Province. If the current trend continues, the elections will end in a sweeping victory for the Democratic Party. The early results suggest that voters in the first nationwide elections sinc June 3, 2026

Former justice minister Choo Mi-ae to become first female provincial governor in South Korea SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) - The Ruling Democratic Party candidate and former justice minister Choo Mi-ae is certain to win the Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial race, making her the first woman to head a metropolitan or provincial government in South Korean history. According to the National Election Commission on Wednesday, Choo is projected to defeat People Power Party candidate Yang Hyang-ja in the June 3 local elections. The six-term lawmaker maintained a wide lead over Yang throughout June 3, 2026

National Election Commission apologizes for ballot shortage SEOUL, June 3 (AJP) - Heo Chul-hoon, secretary-general of South Korea's National Election Commission, issued a public apology on Wednesday evening after several polling stations ran out of ballot papers during local elections. Speaking at the commission headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Heo said he takes full responsibility for the oversight. He said the commission deeply apologizes for causing great confusion and concern, acknowledging that the incident inconvenience June 3, 2026

Ruling party leads in South Korean local election exit polls SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) -South Korea's ruling Democratic Party of Korea holds a strong lead in 11 out of 16 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial races, according to joint election-day exit polls released Wednesday. The projected outcomes position the party to expand its local administrative power as President Lee Jae-myung enters the second year of his term. The nationwide vote serves as the first major electoral test for the Lee Jae Myung administration, a critical midterm ref June 3, 2026

Opposition leader slams South Korean president on election day SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) - South Korea's main opposition leader Jang Dong-hyeok launched a sharp election-day attack against President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday, accusing him of illegal campaigning and severe economic mismanagement. Speaking during a final election committee meeting at the National Assembly, the conservative leader urged voters to cast their ballots as an act of constitutional self-defense against the government. The address underscored the bitter polarization su June 3, 2026

Ruling party leader urges voter turnout citing historical one-vote margins SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) - The ruling Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae urged citizens on Wednesday to participate in the nationwide local elections, emphasizing that a single ballot carries the weight of South Korea's democratic history and can directly determine narrow races. Speaking at a central election committee meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Jung highlighted the statistical reality of close contests to combat voter apathy. He noted that the past si June 3, 2026

South Korea counts local election votes to decide political control SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) - South Koreans turned out in large numbers for nationwide local elections on Wednesday, setting up a high-stakes verdict on the one-year-old administration of President Lee Jae-myung. Voting proceeded smoothly across 14,288 polling stations before ballot boxes were transferred to designated counting centers. The election serves as a critical midterm referendum that could either grant the ruling Democratic Party of Korea total control over local and national g June 3, 2026

South Korean local election turnout reaches 48.9 percent SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) - Over 21.8 million people cast their ballots in South Korea's ninth nationwide local elections by 2:00 p.m. on election day. This pushed overall voter turnout to 48.9 percent, signaling potentially historic final participation levels. The mid-afternoon figure is 8.2 percentage points higher than the turnout recorded at the same time during the previous local elections four years ago. It also sits 2.1 percentage points above the 2018 elections, suggesting June 3, 2026

Update: Five killed in South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace factory explosion SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - An explosion at a Hanwha Aerospace factory in South Korea killed at least five people and injured two on Monday morning, according to police and rescuers. The blast prompted an emergency response as rescue workers continue to search for three unaccounted individuals. The incident occurred at 10:59 a.m. (0159 GMT) at the company's plant in Oesam, located in Daejeon's Yuseong District. Emergency dispatchers received about 30 simultaneous calls from peo June 1, 2026

Early vote surge clouds DP landslide hopes as Korea heads into June 3 local elections SEOUL, May 30 (AJP) - South Korea’s June 3 local elections are no longer looking like the ruling Democratic Party’s walkover, as record early voting and tightening battleground races raise the odds of a more contested outcome than President Lee Jae Myung’s party had expected. Early voting reached 12.11 percent as of 7 a.m. Saturday, with 5.41 million of 44.65 million eligible voters casting ballots, according to the National Election Commission. The figure was 1.45 May 30, 2026