* Ruling and opposition parties will laugh or cry depending on the outcome in Incheon, Busan, Sejong, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and North Chungcheong
* June 4 local elections: Saenuri has the upper hand in more municipal-level local governments

On June 2, two days before the June 4 local elections, the ruling and opposition parties compete in a tight race in six provincial-level local governments (Incheon, Busan, Sejong, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, North Chungcheong). In other areas, the Saenuri Party is ahead in six local governments and the New Politics Alliance for Democracy is ahead in five. The race being so close, it appears the outcome in the highly contested areas will decide the fate of the parties.

Currently, the Saenuri Party holds the chief position in nine provincial-level local governments (Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Ulsan, Sejong, Gyeonggi, North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang, Jeju), and the New Politics Alliance for Democracy holds the position in seven (Seoul, Incheon, Gangwon, North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, North Jeolla, South Jeolla). If we include the mayor of Gwangju, who left his political party, among the members of the opposition, the actual score is nine to eight.

The Saenuri Party believes retaining the chief executive positions in the current nine provincial-level local governments would be a successful election, and expect to win ten at the most. They believe they will win in six regions where they are ahead, South Gyeongsang, North Gyeongsang, Daegu, Ulsan, Daejeon, and Jeju, while they determine a victory in the 3-4 contested areas to be a landslide victory. A key figure in the campaign said, "In the Seoul metropolitan area, we can expect to win the gubernatorial race in Gyeonggi, and we have to win in Gangwon, Busan and Sejong."

In particular, they are paying sharp attention to the outcome for the mayoral race in Busan, practically their backyard. In a recent survey within the party, the situation seemed bleak as candidate Suh Byung-soo, a key pro-Park figure continued to fall behind independent candidate Oh Geo-don. This day, Kim Moo-sung, co-chairman of the Saenuri campaign held an emergency press conference at the Busan City Council and said, "Help us secure Busan and support President Park Geun-hye and the Saenuri Party overthrow the evils of a bureaucratic society and execute national reforms."

The New Politics Alliance for Democracy set their criterion for a successful local election at seven provincial-level chief executive positions, but inwardly they are hoping for 8-9 local governments. In addition to five local governments, Seoul, South Chungcheong, North Jeolla, South Jeolla and Gwangju, they believe they may have a chance in four local governments where the race is expected to be close: Incheon and Gyeonggi in the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon and North Chungcheong. A party official said, "If we win the gubernatorial election in Gyeonggi, it will be a clean sweep [since we will have won all the local governments in the Seoul metropolitan area]."

They also expect a victory in one of the two major cities, Busan and Daegu where the independent candidate Oh Geo-don and the New Politics Alliance for Democracy candidate Kim Bu-gyeom are leading respectively. In Daegu, President Park's political home town and also a pro-Saenuri region, even if Kim Bu-gyeom loses the election, if he can attract more than 40% of the votes it can be seen as a virtual political victory.

The ruling and opposition parties have released different forecasts for the 226 municipal-level local governments nationwide. At the time of the June 2 local elections in 2010, the ruling party had faced a complete defeat in the Seoul metropolitan area, but they expect to win in more than half of the local governments in the municipal-level elections in the Seoul, Gyeonggi region.

The New Politics Alliance for Democracy believes it is ahead in 40% (66-68 constituencies) of the 166 local governments where it has candidates. The party wasted time deciding on whether or not to nominate candidates for the municipal-level local governments and the party's landslide victory in the 2010 local elections seem to be acting as a burden.

The ruling and opposition parties continued their last minute efforts to attract votes this day with "Park Geun-hye marketing" and "judgment on Sewol." Hyun Ki-hwan, head of planning in the Saenuri Party said, "Concentrate your support on the president so we can head toward a new Republic of Korea." Noh Eung-rae, secretary-general of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy said, "We will hold the incompetent state authorities responsible and realize national reforms to prevent a second and third Sewol disaster."