South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party is likely to win 11 of the 16 metropolitan and provincial gubernatorial races in local elections, according to the exit polls broadcast by the three major public broadcasters: KBS, MBC, and SBS. While facing tighter than expected contests in several high-profile races, the DP appears set to win a landslide victory in the elections thanks to the high approval ratings of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
According to local media reports, early data suggested that the voter turnout in the June 3 local elections was 61.0 percent, which is 11 percentage points higher than the previous local elections in 2022. That year, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) won a landslide victory in the wake of its victory in the presidential elections in March 2022. The final voter turnout has not yet been announced as of this writing.
If the results of the joint exit polls are confirmed, the PPP would only secure wins in the areas where South Korean conservatives have garnered unconditional support for decades.
Due to Lee’s approval rating and the PPP’s failure to distance itself from the now-imprisoned Yoon Suk-yeol, the impeached president of South Korea who is also Lee’s predecessor, the scale of the DP’s victory was broadly anticipated. However, the close margin of votes between the DP and PPP candidates in regions such as Seoul, Busan and Daegu demonstrates that the voters differentiated between the popular Lee and the DP writ large by showing less support for the DP candidates.
