SEOUL, April 11 (AJU PRESS) - The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is poised to achieve a landslide victory in South Korea's parliamentary elections held on Wednesday. The Democratic Party, led by Lee Jae-myung, dealt a significant blow to the main ruling People's Power Party by securing at least 167 seats, compared to the conservative ruling party's tally of 94 seats.
According to the National Election Commission, more than 95 percent of the ballots for legislators in 254 constituencies had been counted as of 3:30 a.m. (1830 GMT) on Thursday. The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is leading in 160 districts, including Seoul and its metropolitan cities, while the People's Power Party (PPP) secured 91 seats, mainly in the southeastern region with more conservative voters.
Meanwhile, the DPK's satellite the Minjoo Union, set up for proportional representative seats, is predicted to win 13 seats, and the People Future Party, affiliated with the PPP, is expected to secure 19 seats. The Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP), led by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, is expected to claim 12 seats. About 66 percent of the ballots for proportional representative seats have been counted.
The actual poll results confused pollsters and voters because a joint exit poll survey conducted by major broadcasters predicted that the opposing bloc would win between 184 and 197 seats, while the ruling conservative block was expected to secure 85-99 seats. This year's parliamentary elections cover legislators in 254 constituencies and 46 proportional representatives.
The DPK, PPP, and RKP showed mixed reactions. Cheers and applause erupted from DPK party members immediately after the joint exit poll survey results were unveiled. "We will halt the regression of national affairs in this country as demanded by the people and move towards the future once again," DPK leader Lee said after his victory in Gyeyang District in the western port city of Incheon was confirmed.
The PPP's election monitoring room fell silent, with party members sighing with grim expressions on their faces. More than half of the PPP members left the election control tower and did not return. "We tried our best to follow the will of the people, but the exit poll results are disappointing," PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said before leaving the room.
RKP leader Cho released a statement titled "The people have won" and said: "The people have clearly expressed their judgment on the Yoon Suk-yeol regime in this general election. We sincerely thank the people for their passionate support and encouragement for the newly established RKP, which is only about a month old. We will act faster, stronger, and clearer."
Approximately 29.66 million people, representing 66.2 percent of South Korea's 44.28 million voters, participated in the 22nd parliamentary elections through a total of 14,259 polling stations across the country. This year's general elections showed the highest-ever voting rate of 67 percent compared to the previous record-high of 66.2 percent in the 2020 general elections.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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