Jeong Won-oh leads exit poll with 51.4%, camp erupts in cheers

The campaign office of Democratic Party of Korea Seoul mayoral candidate Jeong Won-oh in Jung-gu erupted in cheers Wednesday evening the moment three broadcasters released their joint exit poll results at 6 p.m.

Campaign staff and party lawmakers who had been watching the election broadcast on a large screen leapt to their feet in unison as the figures appeared, filling the room with applause. Cries of "There it is!" rang out, and some attendees embraced or clasped hands as they took in the results.

Among those at the office to watch the exit poll announcement were lawmakers Lee Hae-sik, Kim Young-ho, Ko Min-jung, Lee In-young, Nam In-soon, Lee Yong-seon, Oh Ki-hyeong and Lee Jeong-heon, as well as fundraising committee chair Lee Jae-jeong. After the numbers appeared on screen, they nodded as they confirmed the figures and exchanged brief words with those around them.

The joint exit poll by the three broadcasters showed Jeong leading with 51.4 percent, ahead of People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon's 46.0 percent — a margin of 5.4 percentage points. Each time the figures reappeared on screen, fresh applause and cheers broke out inside the office, with some saying the trend pointed to a win.

Campaign staff watched the broadcast with expressions mixing tension and anticipation. Even after the initial cheers subsided, conversations about the vote count outlook continued throughout the office, with eyes fixed on the real-time graphics.

"The exit poll results came out positively, but we need to watch the actual count all the way to the end," a campaign official said. "We're not letting our guard down until the very last moment."

In the immediate aftermath of the exit poll announcement, the office settled into a mood of cautious relief and anticipation as staff waited for the official results.

Jeong was not at the campaign office when the exit poll was released, having left around 4:40 p.m. after greeting reporters during a brief visit.

Exit poll figures are drawn from the joint survey by KBS, MBC and SBS, and a separate survey by JTBC.