Choo, Yoo and Han pull off late-night upsets in June 3 local elections

Choo Kyung-ho, Yoo Eui-dong and Han Dong-hoon each secured narrow victories in closely contested races that analysts read as a dual rebuke of the Lee administration and hard-line conservative forces

People Power Party Daegu mayoral candidate Choo Kyung-ho wears a congratulatory flower garland at his campaign office near Beomeo intersection in Daegu on Thursday, as his election victory appeared all but certain. [Yonhap]

The most fiercely contested races of the June 3 local elections produced a string of late-night reversals. In Daegu, People Power Party candidate Choo Kyung-ho came from behind to win the mayoral race in an unprecedentedly tight two-way contest. In Pyeongtaek's second district, PPP candidate Yoo Eui-dong prevailed in a three-way fight. In Busan's Buk-gu Gap constituency, independent candidate Han Dong-hoon edged out a narrow victory in another three-way race. Their unexpected showings in key battlegrounds were widely interpreted as a simultaneous check on both the Lee Jae Myung administration and the hard-line conservative faction.

Results in all three races remained in flux well past midnight Thursday. In Daegu, Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kim Boo-kyum held an early lead as absentee ballots were counted, but the tide turned once counting of ballots cast on election day began. The gap narrowed steadily, and Choo moved into first place around midnight. By around 1:40 a.m., his victory was considered all but certain.

With counting complete, Choo won 702,421 votes, or 53.92 percent of the total, according to the National Election Commission's election statistics system. Kim received 586,927 votes, or 45.05 percent — a margin of 115,494 votes. The result extends Daegu's unbroken run of conservative mayors dating to the first popular mayoral election in 1995, with the sole exception of an independent candidate's victory that year.

In his victory remarks, Choo thanked supporters for their encouragement and acknowledged the criticism he had also received. "I will carry all of it in my heart and do my utmost to translate it into city governance — so that residents' lives improve and Daegu's economy is revitalized," he said. Kim conceded graciously, saying he accepted the result with humility and congratulated Choo on his win.

People Power Party candidate Yoo Eui-dong raises his hand toward reporters at his campaign office in Pyeongtaek on Thursday, after his victory in the Gyeonggi Province Pyeongtaek B district National Assembly by-election appeared certain. [Yonhap]

The Pyeongtaek B result was not confirmed until after 2 a.m. Exit polls released by the three major broadcasters — KBS, MBC and SBS — at 6 p.m. Wednesday had shown an extraordinarily tight three-way race: Cho Kuk of the Rebuilding Korea Party at 31.1 percent, Yoo at 30.6 percent and Democratic Party candidate Kim Yong-nam at 30.3 percent. Early in the count, Kim and Cho traded the lead in what looked like a two-man contest, but as the tally climbed, Yoo's path to a fourth term became clear.

With 99.88 percent of ballots counted, Yoo took 34.83 percent of the vote. Kim finished second at 28.77 percent, followed by Cho at 27.24 percent. Around 2 a.m., Yoo said he was deeply grateful to the people of Pyeongtaek for giving him another chance to serve. "I will make Pyeongtaek a central city of South Korea and ensure that residents feel real change in their daily lives," he said. For the progressive camp, the near-identical vote shares of Kim and Cho made the failure to unite behind a single candidate a costly mistake.

Independent candidate Han Dong-hoon greets supporters at his campaign office in Busan's Buk-gu on Thursday, after his victory in the Busan Buk-gu Gap National Assembly by-election was confirmed. [Yonhap]

In Busan's Buk-gu Gap, Han also clinched a narrow win around 2 a.m. Democratic Party candidate Ha Jung-woo had led through the middle stages of counting, but Han moved ahead once the tally passed 80 percent. When counting was complete, Han had 35,056 votes, or 42.96 percent. Ha finished with 33,664 votes, or 41.26 percent — a margin of just 1,392 votes. PPP candidate Park Min-sik trailed with 12,866 votes, or 15.76 percent.

Han said his victory reflected three currents of public sentiment: a desire to stop conservatism from regressing, a wish to see Buk-gu develop, and a demand to rein in what he called the runaway governance of the Lee Jae Myung administration. "I happened to be standing in front of that great wind," he said. "I will follow the will of the people and the spirit of the times."

The ruling party's defeats in key battlegrounds were seen as a signal of public unease with the Lee Jae Myung government. At the same time, analysts read the results as a warning to the hard-line pro-Yoon Suk Yeol faction within the PPP. Yoo is a prominent ally of former PPP leader Yoo Seung-min within the party, while Han was expelled from the PPP after a prolonged conflict with the pro-Yoon mainstream. Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, said a PPP win in Daegu was to be expected, but that the outcomes in Pyeongtaek and Busan's Buk-gu Gap could be read as a public warning against hard-line conservative forces.

soho0902@heraldcorp.com