Incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks at Seoul City Hall in central Seoul on June 4 after his reelection at the June 3 local elections. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
The ruling liberal Democratic Party (DP) won a sizable victory in Korea's local elections on June 3, but the conservative People Power Party (PPP) could take solace in several key wins, including the Seoul mayoral race, the nation's marquee contest.
The DP seized 12 of the nation’s 16 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial posts, including the mayoral seats in the traditionally conservative cities of Busan and Ulsan and the governor's mansion in Gangwon, another conservative bastion.
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However, the loss in Seoul took some of the shine off the DP's victory, as did its failures in four key battlegrounds, including Daegu and South Gyeongsang, where it had invested considerable political effort.
