In the June 3 local elections, Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party defeated Jung Won-o of the Democratic Party to secure a fifth term as Seoul mayor. Despite trailing early in the vote count, Oh made a remarkable comeback 13 hours after the polls closed, widening his lead as the counting progressed.
According to the National Election Commission on June 4, Oh successfully retained the mayoral position by defeating Jung, who was referred to as the "choice of President Lee Jae-myung."
Jung initially appeared to be in the lead. Exit polls released at 6 p.m. on election day indicated that Jung was ahead by 5.4 percentage points, causing a celebratory atmosphere in his campaign office. As the counting began, Jung maintained his lead, although the gap fluctuated at times.
The mood in Oh's camp was somber following the exit poll results, and concerns grew when some polling stations in the People Power Party's strongholds of Songpa, Gangnam, and Gwangjin districts reported a shortage of ballots. The party requested a halt to the counting, but the election commission did not comply.
The dramatic turnaround began early on June 4. At approximately 7:16 a.m., with 93.9% of the votes counted, Oh surpassed Jung for the first time, receiving 2,391,512 votes (48.67%) compared to Jung's 2,388,836 votes (48.61%). This occurred just 13 hours after the counting began.
Cheers and applause erupted in Oh's campaign office as supporters celebrated the turnaround. Campaign officials and supporters who had briefly left returned to the scene. In contrast, Jung's campaign office fell silent, with sighs and gasps of disbelief as the gap widened to around 10,000 votes just 20 minutes after the lead changed hands.
Once he took the lead, Oh maintained his momentum. Jung declared his defeat before the counting was completed, stating, "I will humbly accept the choice of the citizens. I was lacking," and extended his congratulations to Oh.
Oh's victory marks a historic achievement as he becomes the first mayor in South Korea to serve five terms. He was first elected mayor in 2006 and again in 2010 but resigned in 2011 over a failed referendum on free school meals. After winning the by-election in 2021 and the local elections in 2022, he set the record for four terms as Seoul mayor.
After his victory was confirmed, Oh expressed gratitude to the citizens of Seoul, stating, "This election is a victory for common sense. The citizens have firmly established the democratic principle of checks and balances." He added, "Now it's time to get back to work and address the issues that burden the lives of our citizens one by one."
Following his remarks, Oh returned to Seoul City Hall to resume his duties as mayor, 38 days after his responsibilities were suspended upon registering as a candidate for the local elections on April 27.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.