Recount breaks tie in race for seat on the South Chungcheong Provincial Council, handing Democratic Party candidate Gi Ho-yeop narrow victory Democratic Party candidate Gi Ho-yeop defeated People Power Party candidate Yoon Gi-hyeong by a single vote in the Nonsan City No. 1 constituency for the South Chungcheong Provincial Council, after a recount broke an initial tie. (Yonhap) The single closest contest in Wednesday's local elections unfolded in South Chungcheong Province, where Democratic Party of Korea candidate Gi Ho-yeop edged out his conservative rival by just one vote in a race for a provincial council seat.According to the National Election Commission on Thursday, Gi received 11,594 votes in the Nonsan City No. 1 constituency for a seat on the South Chungcheong Provincial Council, defeating People Power Party candidate Yoon Gi-hyeong by a single vote.The two candidates were initially tied at 11,592 votes each, triggering a recount. The recount found that two of three ballots previously classified as invalid were valid votes for Gi, while the other was for Yoon.The NEC said the three ballots deemed valid in the recount were classified as "partial stamp" ballots, meaning the official voting stamp was only partially marked in the designated box on the ballot.Under election rules, a ballot is considered valid if any part of the official voting stamp appears within a candidate's or party's designated box and the voter's choice can be clearly identified.However, a ballot may be ruled invalid if the voting stamp overlaps the boxes of two or more candidates, if the voter's choice cannot be clearly determined, or if the voter has added additional markings or written text on the ballot.Had the recount still left the two candidates tied, the older candidate would have been declared the winner. According to candidate registration records, Gi is 67 years old, while Yoon is 64.Gi, who currently works as a visiting professor at Joongbu University, holds a doctorate in education from the graduate school of Kongju National University and previously served as principal of Ganggyeong Commercial High School.