Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party is set to defeat Yang Hyang-ja of the People Power Party in the Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial election held Tuesday as part of the 9th nationwide local elections, claiming the top post in Korea's most populous province.
Choo will leave a significant mark on Korean political history, becoming both the first female governor of Gyeonggi Province and the first female head of a metropolitan local government in the nation's constitutional history.
According to the National Election Commission's tally as of 11:50 p.m. Tuesday, with 32.54% of votes counted, Choo led with 54.29% against Yang's 40.19%, making her victory virtually certain.
Earlier, exit polls by the three terrestrial broadcasters and JTBC had foreshadowed a landslide for Choo, projecting margins of 26.3 percentage points and 19.2 percentage points, respectively.
Choo stayed ahead of Yang from the start of vote counting and effectively secured victory around 11 p.m.
Her rival Yang issued a concession message around 11 p.m., saying, "I will humbly accept the will of Gyeonggi residents."
Choo is scheduled to visit her election campaign office in Ingye-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon, shortly after midnight to share the joy of victory with her supporters.
