Seoul mayoral race narrows to 1% point gap, tight contest continues

Seoul's mayoral election is heading for a nail-biting finish, with the race between Democratic Party candidate Jung Won-ju and People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon too close to call. The contest, considered the most fiercely contested of the June 3 local elections, saw the gap between the two frontrunners shrink dramatically. What was once a lead of over 10 percentage points for one candidate has narrowed to a mere 1.65 percentage points as of 5 a.m. Wednesday. Central Election Commission data shows that with 80.09% of the ballots counted, Jung has secured 49.47% of the vote, while Oh trails with 47.82%. The difference amounts to 69,214 votes. The tight race intensified after vote counts from the Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa districts, often referred to as the 'Gangnam 3', began to be tallied in the early morning hours. However, the final outcome remains uncertain as vote counting in several key areas, including Dongjak-gu (36.42% counted), Songpa-gu (45.07%), and Yeongdeungpo-gu (45.14%), had not yet reached a majority by Wednesday morning. This leaves both candidates in a state of suspense, awaiting the final tally to determine Seoul's next mayor.