Race tightens in key battlegrounds as blackout period begins Thursday
South Korea's June 3 election race is heating up, with opinion polls hinting at closer-than-expected races in many key battlegrounds eyed by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the main opposition People Power Party. The latest polls indicate that about half of the races for 16 major mayoral and gubernatorial posts are tightening, contrasting the Democratic Party's earlier expectations of a landslide victory. Opinion polls suggested that many ruling party candidates' leads have narrowed or