The party's election headquarters at the National Assembly Library fell into heavy silence when broadcasters announced the results at 8 p.m., immediately after voting concluded across the nation.
Officials clad in red campaign jackets had gathered with cautious optimism. Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Yong-tae and other senior leaders took front-row seats as the critical moment approached.
The mood shifted dramatically as exit poll figures appeared on television screens, showing their candidate Kim Moon-soo significantly behind, despite the campaign’s final-week rhetoric about a possible "golden cross" comeback.
"We expected results within the margin of error, either slightly behind or slightly ahead, but this significant gap is quite disappointing," said co-campaign chief Na Kyung-won. "It's being received as somewhat shocking."
Within ten minutes of the announcement, senior party officials began leaving the venue, their expressions marked by disappointment as the unexpected scale of the setback sank in.
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