Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party overtook Jung Won-oh of the Democratic Party during the Seoul mayoral election vote count [1].

The shift represents a reversal from early projections, highlighting the volatility of the count and the impact of early voting trends on the final outcome.

Initial exit polls suggested a lead for the Democratic camp. According to data from three major terrestrial broadcasters, Jung led by 5.4 percentage points [1]. A separate predictive survey by JTBC showed a wider gap, with Jung leading by 10.6 percentage points [1]. These early figures led to celebrations within the Jung campaign.

However, the atmosphere shifted as the actual vote counting progressed. The process was complicated by reports of ballot shortages, leading Oh to request a temporary suspension of the count [2].

The momentum continued to swing toward the People Power candidate over several hours. It took approximately 13 hours for the lead to flip [1]. At 7:16 a.m. on June 1, 2024, the first "golden cross" occurred, marking the moment Oh officially surpassed Jung in the tally [1].

An anchor for YTN said the election, which ended in a narrow victory for Oh, was a "drama without a script" [2]. Reporter Kwon Min-seok of YTN said that while the Jung campaign celebrated first after the exit polls, the situation changed as the count continued [2].

Throughout the night, the counting centers saw a mixture of joy and despair as the gap narrowed and eventually inverted. The final result overturned the early expectations set by the major polling firms.

“The Seoul mayoral election was a 'drama without a script.'”

The discrepancy between the initial exit polls and the final result underscores the significant influence of early and mail-in ballots in Seoul's electoral landscape. The 'golden cross' suggests that the People Power Party's support was more concentrated in the later-counted batches, neutralizing the Democratic Party's early lead and shifting the city's political direction.