South Korea’s ruling party dominates local elections but risks losing Seoul mayoralty
SEOUL, June 4 (Reuters) — President Lee Jae-myung’s ruling Democratic Party swept the majority of seats in South Korea’s local elections on Thursday, early vote counts showed, but was on the verge of losing the high-stakes Seoul mayoralty in a race overshadowed by ballot paper shortages and opposition protests.
Incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the opposition People Power Party (PPP) was projected to edge out Democratic Party challenger Chong Won-o by a razor-thin margin as of 8 a.m. local time, according to National Election Commission (NEC) tallies. The capital, home to nearly 10 million people, is the country’s most politically coveted prize, and losing it would deliver a symbolic blow to Lee even as his party made significant gains elsewhere.
Nationwide, Democratic Party candidates won the Busan mayoralty and were leading in 12 of 16 mayoral and provincial contests, though counting continued in several regions. The results mark a sharp reversal from the previous local elections, when the PPP controlled 12 of the 16 local governments.
"Control of Seoul carries outsized political weight," said political analyst Kim Dong-won of Seoul National University. "Even if the ruling party secures a majority of local governments, losing the capital tempers its claim of a decisive national mandate."
The mixed outcome complicates what had been expected to be a sweeping endorsement of Lee’s first year in office. His administration has benefited from robust export growth fueled by an artificial intelligence chip boom and a stock market rally that helped sustain high approval ratings. However, the Seoul result suggests persistent vulnerability in urban swing districts, where opposition messaging on governance and procedural transparency resonated.
Ballot shortages disrupt Seoul voting
The election was marred by disruptions in parts of Seoul, where ballot papers ran out at more than a dozen polling stations amid higher-than-expected turnout. Some voters waited hours or left without casting ballots. Voting was extended at affected sites, but the incidents triggered protests from conservative groups and PPP figures, who — before it became clear that Oh Se-hoon was on track to retain the mayoralty — gathered outside the NEC to demand a halt to vote counting and a rerun, arguing the process had been “tainted.”
The NEC apologized and said it would conduct a full investigation, but determined that the shortages did not constitute grounds for delaying the election or holding a rerun. "We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to voters," an NEC spokesperson said. "We will review logistics to prevent a recurrence."
Broader implications for South Korean politics
The local elections were widely seen as a referendum on Lee’s administration and a test of whether conservatives could regroup after the fallout from former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law bid in 2024. The PPP’s ability to hold Seoul suggests the party retains a viable base in urban centers, even as it ceded ground in traditional strongholds like Busan.
Democratic Party gains across the country — including in conservative-leaning regions — point to sustained voter support for Lee’s economic and reform agenda. Yet the Seoul cliffhanger underscores the electorate’s willingness to split its verdict between local and national loyalties, a pattern that could shape the run-up to the 2027 presidential election.
"This is not a clean sweep for either side," said political commentator Park Ji-yeon. "The ruling party gets a national mandate but with a warning sign in the capital. The opposition salvages a symbolic victory but faces a long rebuilding path."