South Korea is waiting to see which new representatives will lead each region.
Held every four years, local elections are often perceived as midterm referendums on the ruling party and the incumbent administration.
We connect to our Kim Mok-yeon,... who is on standby at the National Assembly for us.
Mok-yeon, can you give us a further rundown of this year's local elections?
"Sure Ji-yoon, after nearly two weeks of passionate campaigning, South Korea's political parties have finally arrived at the make or break day.
Parties have been exerting their utmost effort to sway the hearts of the voters until the very last minute when the official campaigning period ended at midnight."
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea focused on the so-called "Gyeongbu railroad line campaigning" around five cities between Seoul and Busan, while the main opposition Liberty Korea Party was relatively quiet, with their party chief campaigning mostly in central Seoul.
The minor opposition BareunMirae Party continued electioneering by touring around Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.
Out of some four-thousand posts up for grabs, much attention is focused on the position of Seoul Mayor,... as it's often deemed a stepping stone to the presidency.
While candidates from the ruling and main opposition parties -- Park Won-soon and Kim Moon-soo already cast their ballots during the early voting period, minor opposition party candidate Ahn Cheol-soo visited a polling station in Nowon district to cast his vote at around 9 a.m.
Another special event we're looking at today are the by-elections, which are being held simultaneously to fill twelve vacant seats in the National Assembly.
This year's by-elections are being dubbed mini general elections as the results will determine which party will take the majority of the seats in parliament, as currently, the ruling party has 118 seats while the main opposition holds 113.
In South Korea, becoming the largest party means a lot... as it selects the parliamentary speaker, and has the upper hand when it comes to choosing the heads of the National Assembly's standing committees.
Mok-yeon, the majority of the polls released on Wednesday show the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on track to sweeping wins nationwide. But, elections can be unpredictable.... and there are a number of variables to keep in mind...
"Well, we can probably point to the overall voter turnout and swing voters as variables that could possibly influence the results."
Though the latest polls show a higher chance for the Democratic Party to take the lead, with the ruling party leading in 14 of the 17 metropolitan cities or provinces.. there's hope for other parties as some polls indicated between 20 to 40 percent of voters still haven't made up their mind about who to vote for.
Also holding the key could be voters referred to as "shy conservatives" who don't tell pollsters that they support the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.
Back to you,... Ji-yoon.
