Story perspectives

DP Wins Referendum, Seoul Protests Trigger Extended Voting

6/5/2026

Summary

Story summary

14 Seoul stations saw protests, leading Election Commission to apologize and extend voting hours.
Democratic Party won 12 of 16 mayoral-gubernatorial contests while People Power Party’s Oh Se-hoon retained Seoul mayoralty.
By-elections gave Democratic Party nine seats, People Power Party four, and an independent one.
Analysts called elections a referendum on President Lee Jae Myung’s first year.
People Power Party divided after Yoon Suk Yeol’s life-sentence for 2024 martial-law attempt.

History

Historical Context

Following the Constitutional Court’s 10 March 2017 decision to remove President Park Geun-hye, South Korea held a snap election on 9 May 2017. Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn did not run; Democratic candidate Moon Jae-in won 41.09 % of the vote, defeating Liberty Korea Party’s Hong Jun-pyo by a 17.1 % margin and assuming office on 10 May under the constitution’s 60-day vacancy rule.

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Story summary

14 Seoul stations saw protests, leading Election Commission to apologize and extend voting hours.
Democratic Party won 12 of 16 mayoral-gubernatorial contests while People Power Party’s Oh Se-hoon retained Seoul mayoralty.
By-elections gave Democratic Party nine seats, People Power Party four, and an independent one.
Analysts called elections a referendum on President Lee Jae Myung’s first year.
People Power Party divided after Yoon Suk Yeol’s life-sentence for 2024 martial-law attempt.

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