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Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon overcomes dismal exit polling to vault to historic fifth term

Published: 04 Jun. 2026, 19:11 Updated: 04 Jun. 2026, 20:32

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, center, enters Seoul City Hall in central Seoul on June 4 after winning the mayoral race. [YONHAP]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon overcame a dramatic deficit in exit polling on Thursday to clinch an unprecedented fifth term in a win widely attributed to strong support from homeowners and voters focused on real estate issues.

Speaking after his victory at his campaign office in Jongno District, central Seoul, Oh, the main opposition People Power Party's candidate, described the result as a message from voters to President Lee Jae Myung rather than a personal win against ruling Democratic Party (DP) candidate Chong Won-o.

"The judgment of the people of Seoul is reflected in this election result, and it should serve as a warning to the president," Oh said, referring to controversy surrounding a proposed special counsel bill that would allow prosecutors to withdraw criminal charges against President Lee. "No power can stand above the law and no administration can stand above the people."

The victory strengthened Oh's standing within the conservative bloc, where many observers already view him as a leading presidential contender.

The triumphant proclamation stood in stark contrast to his fortunes in the lead-up to the vote on Wednesday.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon walks to Seoul City Hall in central Seoul on June 4 after winning the mayoral race. [YONHAP]

In early May, Oh faced heat over reports of missing reinforcing bars on portions of the GTX-A high-speed commuter rail project, raising concerns about construction oversight and public safety. He then faced a fresh onslaught of criticism over the fatal Seosomun Overpass collapse in Seodaemun District only one week prior, which resulted in three dead and three others injured.

The controversies — and the baggage that came with being the incumbent — appeared to weigh on his chances in a joint exit poll by the three main terrestrial broadcasters that painted a bleak picture for Oh, who was projected to lose the office to Chong by more than 5 percentage points.

Early counting put the DP candidate in a commanding lead, but the momentum shifted as ballots from Seoul's southern districts came in. Strong support from voters in the Gangnam and Seocho districts, along with Songpa —which found itself at the center of a ballot shortage that at times threatened to upend the election — erased Oh's deficit and pushed him into the lead early on Thursday after roughly 16 hours of counting.

Analysts pointed to real estate concerns as the decisive factor behind the upset. Oh dominated in affluent districts where rising apartment prices and higher assessed property values increased tax burdens for homeowners.

Oh won only 10 of Seoul's 25 districts, but dominant margins in the Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa districts, combined with victories across several key districts along the Han River, propelled him to victory.

The result marked a significant shift from the presidential election a year earlier, when President Lee won nearly every key district along the Han River, underscoring how dramatically voter sentiment in Seoul had changed.

Analysts also cited the consolidation of the conservative vote as a key factor in Oh's victory. Many centrist and conservative voters who had backed Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok in the presidential election appeared to rally behind Oh, helping reduce the share of the vote for the third party's candidate, Kim Jung-chul, to less than 1 percent.

Chong also sought to appeal to homeowners with pledges to cut property taxes and ease redevelopment and reconstruction regulations, but he struggled to establish a political identity separate from the president.

The DP candidate conceded defeat in the tight race Thursday morning.

“I will accept the citizens' choice with gravity and humility,” he said, appearing at the party's Seoul mayoral election situation room in Jung District, central Seoul, at about 9:30 a.m. on Thursday. “I fell short. That is my responsibility. I was unable to get closer to the people and win more of their hearts.”

He also apologized to citizens and his campaign staff.

“I congratulate mayor-elect Oh,” Chong said. “I am grateful for the warmth and support that I was shown and for those who stood with me until the end.”

Chong Won-o, Democratic Party candidate for the Seoul mayoral race, enters a campaign situation room in central Seoul on June 4. [NEWS1]

DP lawmakers acknowledged that the party underperformed in several key battleground districts despite favorable polling throughout the campaign.

"We relied too heavily on the polls and acted like the election was already won," a first-term DP lawmaker said. "Safety issues such as the missing reinforcing bars and the Seosomun Overpass collapse failed to resonate with voters. Instead, conservative voters rallied even more strongly around real estate issues."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK TAE-IN, LEE CHAN-KYU AND PARK JUN-KYU [[email protected]]