South Koreans vote in local elections seen as a gauge of support after President Lee's first year

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Koreans began voting Wednesday in mayoral and other local elections that are seen as a gauge of support for President Lee Jae Myung’s year-old liberal government.Opinion surveys suggested Lee’s Democratic Party is certain to win more races than its main rival and conservative opposition People Power Party, as the PPP remains in disarray about 1 ½ years after then-conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law debacle. Given its favorable political landscape, experts say the DP must score a landside victory and win some key races such as the mayoral vote in Seoul, the capital, so as to give Lee a clear boost.“The conservatives’ support base has been fractured and weakened in the wake of Yoon’s impeachment, while the liberals’ support base has grown stronger. Considering that, results of the elections will determine whether their dominance would prolong for a considerable time,” said Jeong Han-Wool, director of the Korean People Research Institute.

Up for grabs in Wednesday’s polls are 16 mayoral and provincial gubernatorial posts, 12 of them held by the PPP. Fourteen new members of the 300-member National Assembly will also be chosen in by-elections.