June 5, 2026
SEOUL – South Korean voters handed the ruling Democratic Party of Korea a decisive victory in the local elections, but kept Seoul and much of the conservative southeast out of its reach, tempering the triumph while giving the battered People Power Party a political lifeline.
The Democratic Party won 12 of the country’s 16 mayoral and gubernatorial races, while the main opposition People Power Party secured four — Seoul, Daegu and North and South Gyeongsang provinces, the latter three in its traditional Yeongnam stronghold.
The result marked a dramatic reversal from the 2022 local elections, when the Democratic Party won just five of 17 metropolitan and provincial governments (two merged for this year’s vote).
Yet for the Democratic Party, the defining story of Wednesday’s local elections was not its nationwide sweep, but its failure to capture Seoul.
“I am deeply grateful to the people for giving the Democratic Party a sweeping victory across the country,” the Democratic Party’s Chair Rep. Jung Chung-rae said during a news conference on the election outcome Thursday.
“However, it is painful that we were unable to reclaim Seoul.”
Song Young-gil, a former Democratic Party leader who won the National Assembly by-election in Incheon’s Yeonsu-A constituency, expressed disappointment over the party’s failure to win the Seoul mayoralty.
“Frankly, what is most disappointing is that the party failed to make better use of the Lee Jae Myung administration’s strong approval ratings through its election strategy,” Song said Thursday in a radio interview with MBC.
The setback was all the more painful because it came at a moment of unusual political strength for the ruling party. The Democratic Party entered the election with a comfortable lead over the People Power Party in most polls, while President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating hovered around 60 percent.
In a dramatic late comeback, People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon overtook Democratic Party challenger Chong Won-o, a candidate publicly endorsed and effectively handpicked by Lee, to secure an unprecedented fifth term as Seoul mayor.
The late turnaround unfolded against a backdrop of Election Day controversy, after the National Election Commission confirmed unprecedented ballot shortages at 14 polling stations in Seoul. The shortages forced voting to continue for hours beyond the official closing time, disrupted the electoral process and sparked fierce protests from residents and the People Power Party.
Yeongnam no longer untouchable
Overall, the People Power Party managed to defend Seoul, but failed to expand beyond its traditional support base in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province and South Gyeongsang Province.
The results underscored a changing political landscape in Yeongnam, long regarded as an utterly safe stronghold for the conservative bloc.
Although the People Power Party narrowly held Daegu and South Gyeongsang Province after closely contested races, it lost control of Busan and Ulsan, suggesting that the region can no longer be taken for granted as a conservative bastion.
The Democratic Party had placed two political heavyweights in the region in hopes of making symbolic gains, fielding former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum in Daegu and former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyung-soo in South Gyeongsang Province. But both bids fell short, underscoring the party’s continued difficulty in breaking the conservative grip on the region.
Still, the ruling party made meaningful gains.
In Busan, Democratic Party candidate Chun Jae-soo, a three-term lawmaker and former oceans minister, unseated incumbent Mayor Park Hyeong-joon, returning South Korea’s second-largest city to the party’s control.
In Ulsan, Democratic Party candidate Kim Sang-wook — a former People Power Party lawmaker who broke with conservatives over Yoon’s Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration — defeated People Power Party rival Kim Du-kyum after securing a unified candidacy on the left.
Yet Busan and Ulsan, like Seoul, also showed signs of split-ticket voting, suggesting that many voters distinguished between mayoral races and lower-level contests.
In both cities, voters elected Democratic Party mayors while continuing to back People Power Party candidates in many district-level races and National Assembly by-elections.
Rep. Song Eon-seog, floor leader of the People Power Party, said the election results showed that voters “had not sided entirely with either President Lee Jae Myung or any of the ruling and opposition parties.”
“They have sternly called for the restoration of checks and balances across the political system — between the president and the ruling and opposition parties, between the central and local governments, and between metropolitan and municipal administrations,” Song said. “The People Power Party will humbly accept the people’s demands and warnings.”
After the vote, President Lee underlined a mandate for cooperation.
“The government will humbly heed the will of the people reflected in the local elections and actively cooperate with newly elected local governments, regardless of party affiliation,” Lee said during his weekly meeting with senior aides and secretaries.
Main opposition captures four Assembly seats
The People Power Party performed relatively well in the 14 National Assembly by-elections held alongside the local elections, winning four seats despite 13 of the 14 constituencies having previously been occupied by Democratic Party lawmakers.
The Democratic Party won nine seats, including constituencies in Incheon, Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, South Chungcheong Province, North Jeolla Province and Jeju Island, while one went to an independent conservative candidate.
Among the People Power Party’s most notable victories was Pyeongtaek-B in Gyeonggi Province, where Yu Eui-dong defeated Cho Kuk, chair of the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party. The party also won in Daegu’s Dalseong constituency and the Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang constituency.
In Busan’s Buk-A constituency, independent conservative candidate Han Dong-hoon, a former People Power Party chair, defeated Ha Jung-woo, who stepped down as senior presidential secretary for artificial intelligence policy and future planning in the Lee administration.