Park Wan-soo defies polls, wins reelection as South Gyeongsang governor to save conservatives from PK wipeout

People Power Party South Gyeongsang Governor-elect Park Wan-soo won reelection Thursday, overturning exit-poll projections that had given the Democratic Party of Korea a narrow edge. With the PPP having already lost the Busan and Ulsan mayoral races to the Democratic Party, Park's victory in South Gyeongsang Province prevented a complete conservative wipeout across the PK region — Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang — drawing relief from within and outside the party.

According to the National Election Commission, Park secured reelection at around 9:20 a.m. Thursday with 51.40 percent of the vote.

Throughout much of the campaign, polling had consistently shown Park trailing Democratic Party candidate Kim Gyeong-su, and even conservative supporters had grown pessimistic. Exit polls conducted by the three major terrestrial broadcasters the previous day had projected Park at 45.7 percent and Kim at 53.4 percent.

The election came just one year after the presidential election, and Kim's status as a former South Gyeongsang governor had further bolstered forecasts of a Democratic Party advantage. As vote counting progressed and the PPP fell in both the Busan and Ulsan mayoral races in quick succession, anxiety mounted within the party that the Democratic Party could sweep all PK regional government posts.

Park's narrow win prompted assessments within the party that he had rescued the conservative camp from crisis. "Park had strong approval from residents, so we thought it was winnable," a PPP official said. "He essentially turned the tide in PK."

A two-term Assembly member, Park entered elected office in 1994 as head of Hapcheon-gun in South Gyeongsang Province. He went on to serve two terms as mayor of Changwon before its municipal merger, then became the first mayor of the unified Changwon city. He later served as president of Incheon International Airport before winning the South Gyeongsang governorship in 2022.

Park trailed Kim in Gimhae, Yangsan and Geoje, but reversed the outcome by building a lead of nearly 30,000 votes in his political stronghold of Changwon. About 76 percent of South Gyeongsang's roughly 2.775 million eligible voters live in the province's five major cities — Changwon, Gimhae, Yangsan, Jinju and Geoje. Park's commanding margin in Changwon, the largest of the five, proved the decisive factor in his victory. He carried 15 of the province's 18 cities and counties.

After Park's victory was confirmed, Kim issued a statement saying he was sorry for failing to live up to the support and expectations many people had shown during the campaign. "It is entirely due to my own shortcomings," he said. He also congratulated Park, saying, "I congratulate candidate Park, with whom I competed, on his election" and asking him to "navigate South Gyeongsang's difficult realities well."

After his victory was confirmed, Park offered words of consolation to Kim. "I will work steadfastly and surely to develop South Gyeongsang Province and bring happiness to its residents," he said. "I will also reflect the good policies proposed by candidate Kim in the administration of the province."