At the Democratic Party of Korea ballot counting situation room, cheers and groans erupted as the exit poll results from the three terrestrial broadcasters for the June 3 local elections were announced. When the exit poll for metropolitan mayors and provincial governors showed the party leading in 11 races and four in contention, cheers broke out, but when results showed the party trailing in the Pyeongtaek-eul race, groans followed.
At about 5:20 p.m. on the 3rd, officials from the election committee and lawmakers began gathering one after another at the Democratic Party ballot counting situation room set up in the main conference hall of the National Assembly Members' Office Building. As 6 p.m., the time for the exit poll announcement, drew near, the co-chairs watched the broadcast screen with somewhat tense expressions.
As soon as the exit polls were released, cheers and applause erupted in the situation room. Democratic Party candidates for metropolitan mayors and provincial governors were projected to place first in 11 of 16 races, four were neck and neck, and only North Gyeongsang Province showed a People Power Party advantage.
In particular, when results showed Chong Won-o of the Democratic Party at 51.4% in the Seoul mayoral race, 5.4 percentage points ahead of Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party (46.0%), the atmosphere in the situation room rose further. However, senior co-general election directors Jung Chung-rae and Han Byung-do, wearing suits instead of campaign attire, watched the results with hands clasped, remaining relatively calm amid the cheers.
Applause and cheers continued each time regional exit poll results were announced. As Lee Won-taek was projected to lead in the North Jeolla governor race and a razor-thin result emerged between Kim Boo-kyum (49.1%) and Choo Kyung-ho (49.9%), the applause grew louder despite the tension.
In Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek-eul, as results showed Cho Kuk at 31.1% and Yoo Ui-dong at 30.6% in a tight race, with Kim Yong-nam pushed to third, some attendees expressed regret with sighs.
Lee Yeon-hee, the Democratic Party of Korea's strategy and planning chair, met with reporters immediately after the exit poll announcement and said, "These projected poll results show that public sentiment gave strength for stable governance to President Lee Jae-myung, who gets the job done."
Regarding the Pyeongtaek-eul race, Lee added, "Since it is a close contest within the margin of error, we will not know the result until the last ballot box is opened," and said, "We expect Kim Yong-nam to win."