Chong Won-o projected to win Seoul mayoral race: exit poll

Victory would give Lee’s party symbolic control of Seoul, but opposition demands revote over ballot shortages

Chong Won-o, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate in the Seoul mayor election, speaks during his campaign in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

Chong Won-o of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea was projected Wednesday to unseat four-term Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, putting the capital on course for its first liberal mayor in six years.

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But his projected victory was quickly clouded by a ballot shortage controversy that prompted the opposition to demand a halt to vote counting in the capital.

The ruling party was projected to claim local election wins nationwide over the People Power Party, but victory in the country’s most politically important local administration of Seoul would be a symbolic win for President Lee Jae Myung’s party.

Chong led Oh of the main opposition party 51.4 percent to 46 percent in a joint exit poll by local broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS. A separate poll by JTBC showed Chong with a wider lead, at 53.5 percent against Oh’s 42.9 percent.

The joint exit poll also showed a sharp age and gender divide in the Seoul mayoral race.

Oh drew stronger support among younger voters, leading Chong 56.8 percent to 35.9 percent among voters in their 20s or younger and 59.7 percent to 36.7 percent among voters in their 30s.

But the pattern differed sharply by gender. Among women in their 20s or younger, Chong drew 48.5 percent support, while Oh won 75.3 percent among men in the same age group. In their 30s, 42.8 percent of women supported Chong, compared with 29.6 percent of men. Oh drew 53.6 percent support among women in their 30s and 61.8 percent among men in their 30s.

Chong’s support was strongest among voters in their 50s, at 60.7 percent, followed by those in their 40s, at 53.2 percent. Oh received his strongest support from voters aged 70 or older, at 71.1 percent, followed by those in their 60s, at 60.4 percent.

The People Power Party called for a suspension of vote counting in Seoul after ballot shortages caused delays at several polling stations. Floor leader Song Eon-seog described the incident as “a serious violation of voting rights” and urged the National Election Commission to halt the count.

According to the People Power Party’s Seoul chapter, ballot shortages were reported at polling stations across several Seoul districts, including Songpa, Gangnam, Gwangjin, Dongjak and Seocho.

Oh also said vote counting should be suspended “until preliminary measures are completed” in areas affected by ballot shortages, calling on the NEC to take “responsible steps” to restore the voting rights of citizens who were affected.

Though Chong had polled ahead of the conservative Oh throughout the campaign, some recent polls had indicated that the gap was narrowing.

If Chong’s win is confirmed, the 57-year-old is set to begin his term as Seoul mayor on July 1. He built much of his political profile as mayor of Seongdong-gu, an eastern Seoul district that includes Seongsu-dong, before stepping down on March 4 to enter the mayoral race.

Seoul mayoral candidates pose ahead of a televised debate at the SBS Prism Tower in Seoul last Thursday. From right: Chong Won-o of the Democratic Party of Korea, Kim Jeong-cheol of the Reform Party, Kwon Young-gook of the Democratic Labor Party, and Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party. (Yonhap)

Chong emerged as a serious contender after Lee publicly praised him in December as a capable administrator, a comment that helped lift the longtime district chief into the spotlight ahead of the local elections.

He has since made cooperation with the Lee administration a central theme of his campaign, arguing that political alignment between City Hall and the central government would help Seoul move faster on housing, transportation and economic development.

“There is a connection between good workers, who know what the other person is thinking just by sharing a glance. I will work with President Lee to resolve real estate issues, along with tasks related to transportation and the economy,” Chong said Tuesday, a day before the election.

As a member of the president’s Democratic Party, Chong is expected to have a smoother working relationship with the Lee administration than Oh, who frequently clashed with the central government over housing policy and regulation.

“I wish to support the Lee administration’s success in Seoul. I want to work and protect the lives of Seoul citizens,” Chong said in a Facebook post Wednesday.