The ninth local elections in South Korea (Korean: 제9회 전국동시지방선거) were held on 3 June 2026 for 4,227 public officials including 16 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, 227 municipal mayors, 933 metropolitan and provincial councillors, 3,035 municipal councillors, and 16 superintendents of education.
Of the elections for the 16 metropolitan mayors and governors, the ruling Democratic Party won 12 races in a landslide victory, while the opposition People Power Party managed to hold 4, including the mayorship of Seoul.
Background
Citizens born before 4 June 2008 have the right to vote and the right to be elected. 2026 South Korean by-elections will be also held during the local elections.
Regional head elections
Seoul
Incumbent mayor of Seoul Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party was re-elected to a fifth term.
Jeonnam–Gwangju
South Jeolla Province and Gwangju are set to merge into the special city of Jeonnam–Gwangju on 1 July 2026.
Incumbent governor of South Jeolla Province Kim Yung-rok and incumbent mayor of Gwangju Kang Gi-jung, both from the Democratic Party, did not run for mayor of Jeonnam–Gwangju. The Democratic Party nominated former National Assembly member for Gwangsan B, Gwangju Min Hyung-bae, who won the election.
Busan
Incumbent mayor of Busan Park Heong-joon of the People Power Party ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by former Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Chun Jae-soo of the Democratic Party.
Daegu
Kim Jeong-gi had been serving as acting mayor of Daegu since 11 April 2025, after Hong Joon-pyo of the People Power Party (PPP) resigned. The PPP nominated former National Assembly member for Dalseong, Daegu Choo Kyung-ho, who won the election.
Incheon
Incumbent mayor of Incheon Yoo Jeong-bok of the People Power Party ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by former National Assembly member for Yeonsu A, Incheon Park Chan-dae of the Democratic Party.
Daejeon
Incumbent mayor of Daejeon Lee Jang-woo of the People Power Party ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by his predecessor, former mayor of Daejeon Heo Tae-jeong of the Democratic Party in a rematch.
Ulsan
Incumbent mayor of Ulsan Kim Doo-gyeom of the People Power Party ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by former National Assembly member for Nam A, Ulsan Kim Sang-wook of the Democratic Party.
Sejong
Incumbent mayor of Sejong Choi Min-ho of the People Power Party ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by former vice mayor of Sejong for economic affairs Cho Sang-ho of the Democratic Party.
Gyeonggi
Incumbent governor of Gyeonggi Province Kim Dong-yeon of the Democratic Party lost renomination to former National Assembly member for Hanam A, Gyeonggi Choo Mi-ae, who won the election.
Gangwon
Incumbent governor of Gangwon Province Kim Jin-tae of the People Power Party ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by former National Assembly member for Seodaemun A, Seoul Woo Sang-ho of the Democratic Party.
North Chungcheong
Incumbent governor of North Chungcheong Province Kim Young-hwan of the People Power Party ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Shin Yong-han of the Democratic Party.
South Chungcheong
Incumbent governor of South Chungcheong Province Kim Tae-heum of the People Power Party ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by former National Assembly member for Gongju–Buyeo–Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Park Soo-hyun of the Democratic Party.
North Jeolla
Incumbent governor of North Jeolla Province Kim Kwan-young, an independent, ran for re-election to a second term after being expelled from the Democratic Party, but was defeated by former National Assembly member for Gunsa–Gimje–Buan B, North Jeolla Lee Won-taeg of the Democratic Party.
North Gyeongsang
Incumbent governor of North Gyeongsang Province Lee Cheol-woo of the People Power Party was re-elected to a third term.
South Gyeongsang
Incumbent governor of South Gyeongsang Province Park Wan-su of the People Power Party was re-elected to a second term, defeating former governor Kim Kyoung-soo on a much reduced margin from 2022.
Jeju
Incumbent governor of Jeju Province Oh Young-hun of the Democratic Party retired. The Democratic Party nominated former National Assembly member for Seogwipo, Jeju Wi Seong-gon, who won the election.
Administrative controversies
2026 ballot shortages
During the local elections on June 3, 2026, the National Election Commission (NEC) faced significant criticism due to a severe shortage of physical ballots at polling stations. The NEC had reduced the printing of election day ballots to approximately 50% of the registered electorate, anticipating that high early voting turnout would lower the demand on election day.
However, this calculation led to ballot depletion in 91 voting districts nationwide, including Songpa-gu, Gangnam-gu, and Gwangjin-gu in Seoul, as well as Yeonsu-gu in Incheon. Consequently, voting hours were extended past the official 6:00 PM closing time, with some polling stations in Jamsil operating until 10:00 PM as emergency ballot supplies were delivered.
Exit poll controversy and resignations
Major television networks released their exit poll projections at exactly 6:00 PM, while hundreds to thousands of voters were still waiting in lines at the extended polling stations, raising concerns regarding the potential violation of the secret ballot principle.
Following the administrative failures, a civic group filed formal complaints against top election officials for dereliction of duty, prompting the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to launch an investigation. On June 5, 2026, NEC Chairman Rho Tae-ak and Secretary General Heo Chul-hoon officially resigned from their positions. Kim Eun Hae, a member of the People Power Party(conservative), criticized Rho Tae-ak's resignation, stating that it did not constitute taking responsibility, as his term as NEC chairman was already ending with the election. Meanwhile, Roh Tae-ak has concurrently served as a Justice of the Supreme Court alongside his role as Chair of the NEC. Critics from opposition parties, conservative civic groups, and some political figures have argued that the current system, in which the Chair of the National Election Commission is also a Supreme Court Justice, raises concerns regarding the political neutrality of the judiciary and the independence of election administration. On June 8, Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae of the Supreme Court accepted the resignation tendered by Roh Tae-ak.
Before their resignations, the NEC issued a statement apologizing for the mismanagement but stated that the ballot shortages do not constitute a valid legal basis for re-elections. Public assemblies and citizen gatherings continued following the incident, primarily centered around the Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Jamsil, Seoul, calling for a thorough investigation into ballot shortages, a rerun of the election, transparency, and manual vote counting. The protest reportedly began on June 5 and is still ongoing.