Korean community leaders and camp volunteers, including KOWIN President Park Ria, Korean Cultural Association President Lee Min-kyung, and Mugunghwa Women's…
![[On-site Report] Candidate Choi Byung-ha Takes Dramatic Lead by 66 Votes… Official Victory Confirmed After Final Tally](https://pub-7c30bf53af234e8292c8a3d8df0166de.r2.dev/articles/cms8ibaus000004l4atxu5c45/1792954823857-4684d4f3-3fac-4ea1-9021-fa5cf6ac61cd.jpg)
Korean community leaders and camp volunteers, including KOWIN President Park Ria, Korean Cultural Association President Lee Min-kyung, and Mugunghwa Women's Association President Angelina Park, watched the vote counting together.
HanaTV Special Reporting Team Conducts In-depth Close-Up Coverage of NDP and Conservative Party Vote Counting Headquarters and Choi Byung-ha's Election Office
The final count for Elections BC will proceed after the verification of mail-in ballots… Judicial recount highly likely due to 0.5 percentage point margin.
[Burnaby=HanaTV Special Reporting Team] BC New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Paul Choi, running in the Burnaby South-Metrotown constituency, dramatically took first place by defeating Conservative candidate David Xie by 66 votes following the final results of the initial vote count. It was a nail-biting contest where the outcome was difficult to predict even after the vote count exceeded 90%.
For this general election, HanaTV formed a special reporting team to visit the official 'Election Night' headquarters of the NDP and the Conservative Party, respectively, to cover the shifting landscape across B.C., while also providing close coverage of Candidate Choi Byung-ha's campaign office, sharing the tense moments with the Korean community.
■ 'Tight lead' amid Conservative surge in Burnaby... Neck-and-neck race throughout vote counting
In this general election, the Burnaby region was the biggest battleground where the Conservative Party's strong surge was concentrated, with two of the five constituencies, Burnaby Centre and Burnaby North, going to the Conservative Party.
Amidst this turmoil, Burnaby South-Metrotown also continued a nail-biting contest from the beginning of the vote count, with both candidates constantly swapping first and second place by a margin of only tens of votes.
Candidate Choi Byung-ha, who entered the provincial legislature with 49.33% (7,560 votes) in this newly created district during the 2024 general election, has since served as the Parliamentary Secretary for Trade in British Columbia. However, in this election, he faced a strong challenge from Conservative candidate David Ssieh and had to engage in a nail-biting, neck-and-neck battle every time the ballots were opened.
■ Leaders of Korean organizations and volunteers gather… watching every single vote amidst tension and silence
On this day, a large number of compatriots and leaders of major Korean organizations, including KOWIN Vancouver President Park Leeah, Korean Cultural Association President Lee Min-kyung, and Vancouver Women's Association President Angelina Park, gathered at Candidate Choi Byung-ha's election office.
Volunteers who had been leading grassroots election campaigns on the ground for months—including door-to-door visits, phone campaigning, and the distribution of promotional materials—were also present, unable to take their eyes off the Election Commission's real-time tally screen. The attendees watched the vote counting process, swallowing hard every time the vote count was updated.
■ Last ballot box counted at 11 PM… Cheers as 66-vote difference confirmed
The outcome of the race became clear only around 11 p.m., when the last ballot box was opened. According to the Election Commission's tally, the final vote counts by candidate, reflecting the figures from the last ballot box, are as follows.
Choi Byung-ha (BC NDP): 5,811 votes (44.21%)
David Sieh (BC Conservative): 5,745 votes (43.71%)
Brian Pockler (BC Green): 1,151 votes (8.76%)
Andrew Rose (OneBC): 379 votes (2.88%)
The difference in votes between the two candidates was only 66 votes (a difference of 0.50%p in vote share). As the final figures were reflected and Candidate Choi’s lead was confirmed, applause and cheers erupted in unison in the frozen office.
Upon receiving the bouquet, Candidate Choi Byung-ha expressed his sentiments to his supporters and fellow Koreans at the scene, stating, "I will engrave the solemn significance of every single vote you have cast in my heart for the rest of my life," and adding, "I bow my head in gratitude to the volunteers who trusted and ran alongside me until the end, and to the Korean community that has always been a reliable pillar of support."
■ Election results confirmed after final tally of mail-in and absentee ballots… Recount process may follow.
In the initial vote count, Candidate Choi Byung-ha ranked first, but due to the system, legal procedures remain before the official announcement of his election is confirmed.
According to the rules of Elections BC, after the initial count conducted on election day, a final count must be carried out to verify and tally absentee ballots, including uncounted mail-in ballots and special out-of-district ballots.
In particular, with the gap between the two candidates being only 66 votes (0.50%p), it is highly likely that the results of the mail-in ballot count to be opened and the margin of error will lead to a judicial recount procedure under state election law.
The official issuance of certificates of election will take place after the National Election Commission's final tally and legal procedures are fully completed. HanaTV plans to report promptly and accurately from the scene on the official final vote count results announced by the Commission and the progress of the recount as they are released later.
Special Team = Representative Bae Ha-na, Student Reporters (Yoon Yeseul, Kuk Jungseok, Lee Junbeom)
