In South Korea, the ruling Democratic Party has secured a decisive victory in the local elections and parliamentary by-elections. The party won the key mayoral seat in Busan, a traditional stronghold of conservatives, while the main opposition party retained the mayoralty of Seoul.
The Democratic Party (DP) won 12 out of the 16 key mayoral and gubernatorial seats up for grabs, including in Busan, where Jeon Jae-soo was elected mayor, while the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) took four seats, including Seoul, where incumbent Mayor Oh Se-hoon was elected to a fifth term, according to the final vote count.
In the parliamentary by-elections which were held concurrently, of the total 14 seats contested, the DP clinched nine, followed by the PPP with four seats, while the remaining seat was won by an independent.
Yesterday’s elections were held exactly one year after the Lee administration took office on June 4.
The victory for the ruling party is widely expected to solidify the government’s mandate to push forward with its reform measures while dealing a blow to the embattled PPP as it struggles to rebuild conservative support following former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s ouster.
The elections were widely seen as the first nationwide test for Lee, who was elected in a snap presidential election following the ouster of Yoon over his botched martial law bid in December 2024.
