PPP incumbent defeats Democratic Party's Kim Kyung-soo after overnight nail-biter; PPP wins 10 of 18 municipal races
People Power Party candidate Park Wan-soo won reelection as governor of South Gyeongsang Province in the June 3 local elections, defeating Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kim Kyung-soo. Park's consecutive term is expected to give fresh momentum to the province's ninth elected administration.
With 97.30 percent of ballots counted Thursday morning, Park secured 51.48 percent of the vote, edging out Kim's 48.51 percent by a margin of 2.97 percentage points.
The result overturned exit poll projections from all three major broadcasters after a 15-hour overnight contest. Park's lead of nearly 30,000 votes in Changwon — the race's pivotal battleground — proved decisive.
"Building on what we have achieved, I will turn the vision of a great leap forward for South Gyeongsang into reality," Park said, pledging to strengthen welfare programs and pursue region-specific growth strategies. Kim, conceding defeat, said in a statement: "I humbly accept the will of the people and congratulate candidate Park on his election."
The People Power Party also dominated the municipal races across the province's 18 cities and counties, winning 10 — including Changwon, Miryang and Yangsan. The Democratic Party held four seats, including Gimhae, Geoje, Tongyeong and Namhae, while independent candidates won four others, including Jinju.
In the South Gyeongsang Provincial Assembly, where the opposition outnumbers the ruling party, the Democratic Party met the threshold required to form a negotiating bloc. The People Power Party secured a majority, taking 44 of 68 seats including proportional representation seats. The Democratic Party won 23 seats, giving it a base from which to check the governing party, while one independent was elected.
ook967@heraldcorp.com
