The political landscape of South Gyeongsang Province, regarded as the biggest battleground of the June 3 local elections, has shifted. With the Democratic Party of Korea's seats in the South Gyeongsang Provincial Council surging from 4 to 23, the checks-and-balances and cooperative functions within the local assembly are expected to strengthen. While the People Power Party retained its majority with 44 seats, a two-party competitive structure has emerged rather than one-sided dominance.
In the 7th local elections, the Democratic Party created a sensation by winning 34 seats to become the largest party for the first time. Four years later, in the 8th local elections, it suffered a crushing defeat, ceding an overwhelming majority to the People Power Party. The People Power Party swept 60 seats, while the Democratic Party managed only 4, making it impossible to even form a negotiating bloc and effectively relegating it to a marginal force. As a result, concerns persisted that the assembly's inherent function of checking and monitoring provincial administration had weakened, leading to one-sided legislative operations.
But the results of this 9th local election have greatly shaken South Gyeongsang's political landscape. While the People Power Party still maintained its position as the largest party and majority with 44 seats (64.7%), the Democratic Party entered the chamber in force, securing 23 seats (33.8%) by combining district and proportional representation seats. There was one independent winner (1.5%).
The Democratic Party's 23 seats mean it now possesses the practical power to check the dominant ruling party. This is interpreted as the result of provincial residents choosing balance and oversight. It is a scale capable of blocking unilateral decision-making by the People Power Party and inducing tense negotiations on major provincial issues.
While the two-party structure has become more entrenched, it has revealed limits in securing political diversity. The two major parties effectively monopolized the assembly by dividing 67 seats between them, excluding the independent. Minor parties received no share even of the proportional representation seats allocated by party vote share, let alone district seats.
As a result, minor parties such as the Justice Party, Progressive Party, and Labor Party failed to enter the chamber without producing a single winner. With the revival of the two-party system, a negotiating table has been established to prevent extreme confrontation, but concerns are also being raised that the channel for channeling the voices of diverse classes and minorities into institutional politics has been closed.
Local basic councils generally maintained a People Power Party advantage, but in some areas the Democratic Party significantly increased its seats, raising its profile.
The Changwon City Council is composed of 21 Democratic Party seats, 23 People Power Party seats, and 1 Progressive Party seat. The number of People Power Party Changwon city council members fell by four compared to the 2022 local elections. Although the party holds a one-seat advantage, dominance has become difficult.
The Jinju City Council is composed of 8 Democratic Party seats, 13 People Power Party seats, and 1 independent seat. The People Power Party still holds an advantage, but its seats fell by two compared to the previous local elections.
The Sacheon and Yangsan city councils achieved balance with an equal number of seats for the ruling and opposition parties. The Sacheon City Council has 6 Democratic Party seats and 6 People Power Party seats, while the Yangsan City Council has 10 Democratic Party seats and 10 People Power Party seats. Neither side will be able to elect a chair on its own or lead the handling of major agenda items. A power struggle between the parties is expected throughout municipal administration.
In the Tongyeong City Council, independent members are expected to influence overall council operations, including the formation of the leadership and the handling of major agenda items. The Tongyeong City Council was reorganized into 7 Democratic Party seats, 6 People Power Party seats, and 1 independent seat.
The Democratic Party won majorities in the Gimhae and Geoje city councils. The Gimhae City Council has 15 Democratic Party seats and 10 People Power Party seats, while the Geoje City Council has 10 Democratic Party seats and 6 People Power Party seats. In Gimhae and Geoje, the mayor and the council's majority party belong to the same party, enabling municipal administration to gain momentum, but the Democratic Party's responsibility for running the administration has grown accordingly.
In Miryang, the People Power Party became the majority party. With People Power Party Miryang Mayor Ahn Byung-gu re-elected, the People Power Party secured a majority with 7 seats, allowing it to hold an advantage in both municipal and council operations. However, with the seat gap at only one, ruling-opposition clashes are expected during the handling of major agenda items.
