SEOUL, June 3 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's ruling liberal Democratic Party was forecast to take a dominant lead in the local elections, a joint exit poll by the country's three major broadcasters showed Wednesday.

The Democratic Party was projected to secure 11 out of 16 races for metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, leaving the main conservative opposition People Power Party ahead in just one region, while the rest remained too close to call.

In the highly watched Seoul mayoral race, Chong Won-o of the Democratic Party led with 51.4 percent over sitting Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party at 46 percent, according to the exit poll.

The vote counting began after the quadrennial local elections and the parliamentary by-elections to fill 14 vacant seats in the National Assembly ended at 6 p.m. local time (0900 GMT).

The clear outlines of the winners were expected to emerge around midnight. ■