Seoul: Incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party (PPP) has clinched his fifth term in office, narrowly defeating Democratic Party (DP) candidate Chong Won-o in a closely contested mayoral race. The election's outcome was determined in the final stages of ballot counting, with Oh being declared the winner shortly after 10 a.m. when 97.92 percent of ballots had been counted.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the main opposition candidate garnered 48.95 percent of the votes, while the ruling party's Chong achieved 48.33 percent, as reported by the National Election Commission. In his victory speech, Oh stated, "I do not view this election as a personal victory for myself," expressing gratitude towards the citizens for maintaining democratic balance in Seoul.

The Democratic Party candidate, Chong Won-o, conceded defeat at approximately 9:30 a.m. He had held a narrow lead over Oh for the majority of the ballot counting, until the PPP candidate took the lead for the first time at 7:18 a.m. The margin of victory eventually expanded to over 30,000 votes. In his concession speech, Chong remarked, "I congratulate Candidate Oh Se-hoon for his victory. I accept the choice of the citizens with a heavy and humble heart."

This mayoral race was part of the nationwide June 3 local elections, occurring exactly one year after President Lee Jae Myung's administration assumed office on June 4. Seoul is considered a pivotal battleground in South Korean politics. Despite the DP's landslide victory across the country, particularly outside of Seoul and three other conservative strongholds in the southeast, Oh's victory in the capital marked a significant achievement for the PPP.

Pre-election surveys had indicated Chong, a former three-term ward chief in Seoul's Seongdong-gu, as leading over the incumbent mayor. With this victory, Oh has secured his third consecutive and fifth non-consecutive term as the mayor of Seoul.