Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party won the Seoul mayoral election following a late-stage surge in vote tallies.

The victory is significant because the result shifted dramatically during the final hours of counting, raising questions about the impact of administrative failures on the electoral outcome.

Early returns indicated a strong lead for the Democratic Party candidate, Jung Won-oh. According to reporter Kang Min-kyung of YTN, Jung held a lead of over 100,000 votes [1] during the initial stages of the count, appearing to secure the victory. However, Oh closed the gap as more ballots were processed.

Oh officially overtook Jung at 7:17 a.m. [2], eventually solidifying his lead to win the race. The sudden shift in momentum is being attributed to a shortage of ballot papers in specific districts.

Analysis suggests that the lack of ballots occurred in areas with strong conservative leanings, specifically the Jamsil area of Songpa District [3]. Because these ballots were processed later than others, the conservative vote was not reflected in the early totals.

"The turning point was the fact that the counting of votes in areas where an unprecedented shortage of ballot papers occurred was concentrated at the end," said reporter Bu Jang-won of YTN [3]. Bu said that the conservative nature of the affected districts had a significant influence on the final result.

Following the confirmation of the win, the Oh campaign planned to declare victory approximately 20 minutes later [4].

“Oh Se-hoon officially overtook Jung at 7:17 a.m., eventually solidifying his lead to win the race.”

The Seoul mayoral result highlights how logistical failures, such as ballot shortages, can create misleading early leads and fuel political volatility. Because the shortage occurred in a conservative stronghold, the delayed counting created a 'comeback' narrative that may lead to challenges or scrutiny regarding election administration in the Songpa district.