Choo Kyung-ho, the People Power Party candidate for Daegu mayor, is virtually assured of winning the June 3 local elections.
According to the National Election Commission's ballot count status on the 4th, as of 2:26 a.m. that day, with 64.76% of ballots counted in the Daegu mayoral race, Choo had 52.30% of the vote to lead. The gap with Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kim Boo-kyum (46.67%) is 5.63 percentage points.
Before the count, an exit poll showed the two candidates in a "dead heat within the margin of error." However, the exit polls by the three terrestrial broadcasters and JTBC's projection diverged. The three broadcasters' exit poll had Choo beating Kim by 0.8 percentage points, but JTBC's projection showed Kim ahead by 0.7 percentage points.
Choo trailed Kim early in the count, but pulled ahead at midnight. Still, around 1:39 a.m., Choo told supporters at his campaign headquarters, "As the count is still underway, I will state my position once everything is finalized."
However, around 2:30 a.m., Kim conceded. He said, "I thank the citizens of Daegu for their support. I think we saw the possibilities of Daegu politics during the campaign," adding, "I extend my congratulations to Choo on his victory."