In the South Chungcheong provincial council election, the outcome was decided by just one vote. In the Chungju mayoral race in North Chungcheong, there was even a mishap in which a candidate put on a flower garland amid a mood of being "likely elected," only for the result to flip in the final count.
In the Tongyeong mayoral election in South Gyeongsang and the Seongju county chief election in North Gyeongsang, razor-thin contests were waged with margins of 44 and 47 votes, respectively. In Honam, the Democratic Party of Korea's home turf, candidates who left the party in protest over the nomination results were elected one after another, creating upsets.
◇ South Chungcheong provincial council, elected by one vote… In Chungju, a come-from-behind loss after a flower garland
According to the National Election Commission on the 4th, in the Nonsan City No. 1 constituency for the South Chungcheong Provincial Council election, Democratic Party of Korea candidate Gi Ho-yeop won with a final 11,594 votes and a 50.00% vote share, defeating People Power Party candidate Yoon Gi-hyeong. The final margin between the two candidates was just one vote.
Initially, the tally showed a tie, with both candidates at 11,592 votes. Article 190 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that when the number of votes is the same, the older candidate is deemed elected. Accordingly, the 67-year-old Gi had a strong chance of winning over the 64-year-old Yoon under the "older candidate rule."
However, after the election commission put the confirmation of the winner on hold and reexamined invalid ballots and potential misclassified ballots through a meticulous manual review, the result changed. Among the previously invalid ballots, two valid votes for Gi and one valid vote for Yoon were newly identified, and Gi ultimately won by one vote.
A dramatic come-from-behind win unfolded in the Chungju mayoral election in North Chungcheong. People Power Party candidate Lee Dong-seock trailed Democratic Party of Korea candidate Maeng Jeong-seop from the early count through the latter stages, but overturned the race when ballot boxes from towns and townships were opened near the end.
Maeng, who had led through the mid-count, even made the "likely elected" list. A celebratory mood deepened at Maeng's camp, while Lee's camp at one point seemed to accept defeat. But around 3 a.m., Lee pulled off a reversal and ultimately won by 124 votes. At age 40, Lee became the youngest basic local government head in North Chungcheong history.
◇ Tongyeong by 44 votes, Seongju by 47… Unknown until dawn
In the Tongyeong mayoral election in South Gyeongsang, which featured a rematch between a former and the incumbent mayor, the race was decided by 44 votes. Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kang Seok-ju, a former mayor, won with 33,626 votes and 48.97%. The incumbent, Cheon Yeong-ki of the People Power Party, who sought a second term, had 33,582 votes and 48.90%. Kang, who lost in the 2022 local elections by 1,679 votes, a 2.8 percentage point margin, avenged the defeat after four years.
In the Seongju county chief election in North Gyeongsang, independent candidate Jeon Hwa-sik defeated People Power Party candidate Jeong Yeong-gil by 47 votes, a 0.17 percentage point margin. It was Jeon's third bid for Seongju county chief. He had lost the previous two elections by 687 and 565 votes, respectively, but won the office on his third try.
The Seongju county chief race was also hard to predict until the end. Jeong led through the mid-count, prompting projections of "certainly elected," but a surge of votes for Jeon in the latter part of the count produced a reversal.
◇ In Honam, a string of wins by candidates protesting Democratic Party nominations
In Honam, considered the Democratic Party's home turf, candidates who left the party in protest over the nomination results made notable gains. In particular, in South Jeolla, Democratic Party candidates lost in five of the 22 city and county chief races—Gwangyang, Gangjin, Sinan, Wando, and Jangheung.
In the Gangjin county chief election, independent candidate Kang Jin-won was elected. Kang left the party and ran as an independent after being excluded during the Democratic Party nomination process, and won the support of local residents.
In the Sinan county chief election, Rebuilding Korea Party candidate Kim Tae-seong won. Kim also switched parties and ran in protest over the Democratic Party's nomination results. He defeated Park Woo-ryang, who was seeking a fifth nonconsecutive term, producing an upset.
In the Gwangyang mayoral election, Park Seong-hyeon, who was excluded in the Democratic Party primary, ran as an independent and defeated Democratic Party candidate Jeong In-hwa. Even in an area where the Democratic Party is strong, the backlash against the nomination process appears to have translated into actual votes.
In the Jangheung county chief election, Rebuilding Korea Party candidate Sa Sun-mun won 11,349 votes, a 50.55% share, beating the incumbent Democratic Party candidate Kim Seong by 248 votes. In the Wando county chief election, where the three-term limit on County Chief Shin Woo-cheol left the field open, independent candidate Kim Shin defeated Democratic Party candidate Woo Hong-seop by 790 votes to win. Kim won the county chief's post on the fourth try.
In these local elections, razor-thin races proliferated, with outcomes unknown until the final count. At the same time, in Honam, a Democratic stronghold, independent and third-party candidates who protested the nominations were elected one after another, drawing assessments that in local races, voter sentiment about candidate competitiveness and the nomination process mattered as much as party labels.