South Korea's Local Elections a Major Test for President Lee Jae Myung

South Koreans cast their ballots in local elections in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. The election is the first national test for President Lee Jae Myung's administration. (Photo: Yonhap)

JAKARTA - South Koreans are casting ballots in local elections that are the first nationwide political test for President Lee Jae Myung. The results will show how strong public support is for his administration after a year in power.

According to a Yonhap report from Seoul quoted Wednesday, June 3, the National Election Commission or NEC, the South Korean election organizing agency, recorded 21.83 million people had voted by 2 p.m. local time. The figure is equivalent to 48.9 percent of more than 44.64 million voters.

Voting took place at 14,288 polling stations. TPS opened at 06.00 and closed at 18.00.

A total of 10.5 million voters had previously cast their votes early during the past two days. Early voting participation reached 23.51 percent, the highest in history. Therefore, the final participation is expected to reach 60 percent.

This election is important for Lee. He has been in office since June 2025 after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted due to a failed military emergency attempt.

What is at stake is not a small post. There are 16 mayor and governor seats, 16 education heads, 227 heads of local governments, and about 4,000 local council seats.

In addition, there are 14 parliamentary seats contested through by-elections in a number of regions, including Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, Daegu, and Busan. By-elections are elections to fill vacant parliamentary seats before the next regular election.

The ruling Democratic Party or DP asked voters to come to the polling station. Its leader, Jung Chung-rae, called voting the most direct way for the people to exercise sovereignty.

"One vote can change the life of a voter and their family," Jung said in the National Assembly, quoted by Yonhap.

From the opposition camp, the People Power Party or PPP attacked harder. Its leader, Jang Dong-hyeok, asked voters to stop what he called Lee's arrogance and abuse of power.

"The people must hold him accountable and watch him," Jang said.

Lee himself, through a post on social media, asked residents not to waste their voting rights. He said South Korea could become a leading country if the people chose competent and dedicated public officials.

Initially, DP targeted a big victory. However, the latest survey shows that the competition with the PPP is getting tighter. DP now sees six of the 16 main battles as a fierce battlefield, including Seoul, Busan, and Ulsan.

The battle for the mayor's seat in Seoul is one of the most high-profile fights. Current Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the PPP is competing closely with DP candidate Chong Won-o.

Seoul is not just the capital. This metropolitan area accommodates about half of South Korea's population. In Korean politics, whoever is strong in the capital area usually has big capital for the next national battle.

In the parliamentary by-election, attention is focused on Buk-A district in Busan. Ha Jung-woo, former presidential secretary for artificial intelligence policy and future planning, is facing former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon who is running as an independent. Former PPP lawmaker Park Min-shik is also in the running.

The latest survey showed Han and Ha are neck and neck, while Park is trailing.

Of the 14 parliamentary seats contested, 13 were previously held by the ruling party. With public support for Lee still solid and a majority of seats in parliament, the DP wants to retain the seat so that the government's agenda is not stalled.

The PPP is in a different position. The conservative party is trying to clean up the ranks after public support weakened and internal conflicts increased due to Yoon's failure to implement martial law in December 2024.

In the 2022 local elections, the conservative camp won big by winning 12 of the 17 major governor and mayor posts. Now, the map is being tested again. This time it's not just about the area, but also the political direction of South Korea under Lee.