Ruling DP's landslide victory boosts President Lee's agenda

By Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung received a significant boost to his agenda as the ruling Democratic Party's (DP) landslide victory in Wednesday's local elections signaled strong support for his running of state affairs ahead of the start of his second year in office.

With the vote count still under way, the DP was certain to win 10 of the 16 key mayoral and gubernatorial races, while the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) was certain to win one. Of the five races that were too close to call, the DP was projected to win three, while the PPP was projected to win two.

The results, if confirmed, will shift the political center of gravity in local governments back to the liberals four years after they were defeated 12-5 during the administration of former conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol.

In the National Assembly by-elections held alongside the local elections, the DP was also projected to sweep at least 9 out of 14 seats up for grabs, maintaining its dominance in the 300-member parliament where it already holds a majority.

DP leader and campaign chief Rep. Jung Chung-rae hailed the results as a "victory of the great people" and credited the president.

"I think we were able to win by a landslide because the people had similar thoughts as mine," he said in a phone interview with a YouTube channel.

Rep. Lee Yeon-hee, the DP chief of strategy and planning, also interpreted the outcome as a show of public confidence in the president.

"The results confirm the people's wish to support a stable running of state affairs by President Lee Jae Myung, who does his job well," he said at the party's vote monitoring room after the exit polls were announced.

He especially noted the closely contested race for Daegu mayor, claiming it reflected growing support for Lee even in conservative strongholds.

The campaign season had begun amid widespread expectations that the DP would clinch an easy victory as Lee has enjoyed consistently high support of around 60 percent, while the PPP has reeled from the fallout of Yoon's botched martial law bid in December 2024.

As the election drew near, uncertainty rose as the gap between DP and PPP candidates was seen as narrowing in the races for Seoul mayor, Busan mayor and other key offices. Some political observers had interpreted this as a consolidation of right-leaning voters fearful of a total collapse of the conservative bloc.

The result, however, was a resounding win for the ruling party.

"The public sentiment was in favor of giving a strong mandate to the administration at the start of its term, combined with the underlying voters' judgment on the martial law declaration," political analyst Kim Kwan-ok said.

"Also, the PPP failed to offer a compelling vision or convince voters that it could serve as an effective check on the government, allowing the Democratic Party to benefit by default."

The DP had campaigned under the banner of ending the political turmoil triggered by Yoon's failed martial law bid, while the PPP had portrayed the elections as an opportunity to stop the unchecked rule of the liberal camp.

The former ousted president was sentenced in the first-instance trial in February to life imprisonment for leading an insurrection through the martial law attempt.

During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Lee signaled his intent to push his agenda forward, saying, "If we double the speed of state affairs over the next four years and do our best, we can work like it's eight years." Lee began the second year of his single five-year term on the day, as he took office on June 4, 2025.

Chief among his concerns is likely to be managing the economic challenges sparked by the war in the Middle East, while transforming the nation's industrial base with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies.

Judicial reforms, one of Lee's key campaign pledges, could gain traction amid ongoing controversy over the ruling bloc's push to strip the prosecution of its right to conduct supplementary investigations.

Also drawing attention is what stance the administration will take on an envisioned ruling party-led special counsel bill that the PPP protests could result in the cancellation of various pending trials involving Lee.

Moreover, the administration will be closely watched for any policies it devises to help stabilize housing prices in the capital area, an issue that features prominently in nearly every election cycle but was largely disregarded this time.