Anchor: Main opposition Democratic Party(DP) candidate Jin Kyo-hoon won the by-election for chief of Seoul’s Gangseo District. Jin won 56-point-52 percent of votes cast while ruling People Power Party candidate Kim Tae-woo garnered 39-point-37 percent. 
Kim Bum-soo has more on the ward leader election, which is widely regarded as a bellwether of the upcoming general elections in April.

Report: With less than a quarter of a million ballots cast, main opposition Democratic Party(DP) candidate Jin Kyo-hoon on Wednesday garnered over 56 percent of the votes to become the head of Seoul’s Gangseo District.

During the campaign, the ruling People Power Party said that its candidate, Kim Tae-woo, has a direct hotline to President Yoon Suk Yeol, but that was not enough to stave off a crushing defeat as the conservative standard-bearer trailed his opponent by over 17 percentage points at the end of counting.

The ruling party candidate was the reason why the by-election had to be held. Kim was removed from his post as district chief of Gangseo in May upon receiving a suspended prison sentence for leaking classified information he had obtained while working for a special inspection team under the Moon Jae-in administration.

Kim then was granted a special presidential pardon as part of a political tradition for Liberation Day in August.

Sending their heavyweights to join the stumping, the ruling and opposition camps mobilized their full firepower in the primetime ward chief election, which was thrust into the national spotlight ahead of general elections in April.

As Jin recaptured the highly-contested district of a half a million registered voters, the opposition said South Koreans rendered a verdict on President Yoon.

Jin called his win a victory of common sense and principles.

The ruling party will hold an emergency Supreme Council meeting on Friday to discuss general election strategies following the defeat that was predicted by many but never by such a margin.

A ranking presidential official said that the government believes any election outcome must be solemnly accepted.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.