From left are Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party, Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, Na Kyung-won and Rep. Kim Tae-ho of the People Power Party who each secured a parliamentary seat in Wednesday's general elections. Yonhap

Wednesday's general elections delivered mixed results to several political heavyweights who ran for district seats across the country.

The winners position themselves in the driver's seat leading up to the 2027 presidential election, while the losers may find their political careers in jeopardy, according to political analysts.

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the Reform Party, won his first-ever parliamentary seat after his three consecutive losses dating back to 2016. He rallied to defeat Kong Young-woon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) 42.41 percent to 39.73 percent, according to the National Election Commission.

Analysts predicted that Lee, former leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), may join the presidential election race in 2027.

"Lee is very good at taking advantage of the media, and he is still young," said Kim Sang-il, a political commentator. Lee is 39 years old.

"I think he has a lot of opportunities ahead of him. If he makes efforts to mobilize his political party, reform local politics and frequently attract media attention, he could be identified as a potential presidential candidate," Kim added.

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the PPP won over Lee Kwang-jae of the DPK, a former three-term lawmaker, 53.27 percent to 46.72 percent in the Bundang-A constituency in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, for a fourth term.

The duel was expected to be fiercely contested, especially since both candidates assumed leadership roles within their parties' election committees.

"Ahn's victory over Lee, another presidential hopeful, points to the fact that he could run for party leader and eventually president," said Lee Kang-yun, a political commentator.

Ahn ran in the presidential elections in 2012, 2017 and 2022, withdrawing his bid in two of them and coming in third in the 2017 election.

The doctor-turned-politician won the by-election for a parliamentary seat representing the Bundang-A district in June 2022.

Another political heavyweight Na Kyung-won of the PPP secured her fifth term as a lawmaker, winning over Ryu Sam-young of the DPK by 8.03 percentage points in Seoul's Dongjak-B constituency.

"A victory by Na, who is not a pro-Yoon figure, will likely make her a possible party leader. Na and Ahn are strong contenders," said Eom Kyeong-young, director of the Zeitgeist Institute, a private political think tank.

South Gyeongsang's Yangsan-B district was another tight race between prominent candidates.

Rep. Kim Tae-ho of the PPP secured a victory over Rep. Kim Du-kwan of the DPK by a slim margin, 51.05 percent to 48.94 percent, making him a presidential hopeful for the 2027 presidential race.

He served as South Gyeongsang governor and withdrew his candidacy during the previous presidential election.

From left are the Saemirae Party leader Lee Nak-yon, Rep. Sim Sang-jeung of the Green Justice Party and Won Hee-ryong of the People Power Party, all of whom lost in Wednesday's general elections. Yonhap

Saemirae Party (New Future Party) leader and former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon lost to Rep. Min Hyung-bae of the DPK in Gwangju's Gwangsan-B district, prompting political analysts to speculate that Lee may face the worst-case scenario of retiring from politics.

"Lee's power has been waning. His third party coalition plan became a failure, which came as a disappointment. He doesn't have a strong supporter base, so it seems difficult for him to continue his political career," Kim Sang-il said

Former Land Minister Won Hee-ryong of the PPP may try to cling to power even after he lost to Rep. Lee Jae-myung of the DPK in Incheon's Gyeyang-B constituency.

"The loss hurt his political career, but Won knew from the beginning that it was going to be a losing game. So it won't strike a fatal blow to him," Lee said.

Rep. Sim Sang-jeung, leader of the progressive Green Justice Party, announced her retirement after the four-time lawmaker came in third in the Goyang-A constituency. The Green Justice Party failed to secure a single seat. It held six seats in the 21st National Assembly. Sim was the presidential candidate for the Justice Party in the 2022 presidential election.

The 300 winners are scheduled to enter the National Assembly on May 30 and serve a single four-year term as legislators.