Oh Se-hoon Takes Lead in Seoul Mayoral Race After Initial Deficit

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, surged to first place around 7:16 a.m. on June 4, overtaking Democratic Party candidate Jeong Won-o. Oh's comeback came approximately 13 hours after polls closed, overcoming a 5.4 percentage point deficit reported by the three major broadcasters (KBS, MBC, SBS) in their exit polls.

According to the National Election Commission, as of 7:45 a.m., Oh had secured 48.80% of the votes, slightly ahead of Jeong's 48.48%. Oh, who had trailed Jeong by more than 10 percentage points earlier, dramatically reversed the situation in the morning and has since widened the gap. Reports indicate that Oh is currently moving from his home, where he watched the vote counting, to the election camp's counting room in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Meanwhile, on the previous day, several polling stations in Seoul, including the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, faced a shortage of ballots, leading some voters to leave without casting their votes. The National Election Commission responded by urgently supplying additional ballots to ensure voters could still participate after 6 p.m.

However, the People Power Party expressed concerns that some voters' rights were infringed upon. The National Election Commission acknowledged the issue, stating, "We take full responsibility" and apologized to the public, but clarified that the ballot shortage does not meet the criteria for a re-election.