General elections
Mood test in South Korea: opposition defeats presidential party
Lee Jae-myung (l), opposition leader of the Democratic Party of South Korea
© Ahn Young-joon / AP / DPA
Two years ago, South Korea’s ruling party narrowly won against the opposition in the presidential election. Now the challengers are expanding their seats in parliament. Hard times lie ahead for President Yoon.
According to forecasts based on post-election surveys, all opposition parties together could even have won a so-called “super majority” of at least 200 of the 300 seats in parliament. This would allow them to override the president’s existing right to veto laws.
At a polling station in the capital Seoul’s Gwangjin district this morning, people waited patiently in line to have their IDs checked and receive their ballots before heading to the voting booths. “People around me are definitely less interested in this election than last time,” business owner Kim Yong-ho said outside a polling station in Gwangjin. “I think it’s because they’re pretty disappointed.” Kim Do-kyung, 47, an activist for migrant women and their children, told AFP news agency that she was “ashamed of our country’s politics and government.”
South Korea’s opposition could remove president from office
The parliamentary election was a battle between conservative President Yoon and his People’s Power Party (PPP) and his rival Lee Jae-myung. Lee was narrowly defeated by Yoon in the 2022 presidential election. The parliamentary elections offered him the opportunity to at least make it difficult for his arch-rival to govern.
“Please give us enough seats to keep this immoral and shameless opposition at bay,” said PPP leader Han Dong-hoon. Lee’s Democratic Party (DP) was recently slightly ahead in the polls. If the DP expands its majority in parliament, it will be very difficult for Yoon to push through projects. With an absolute majority, the DP could even try to remove the president from office.
Investigations against opposition leader for corruption
Yoon has lost popularity during his two years in office. The defeat in parliament also hindered his conservative agenda, including health reforms and the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality. In terms of foreign policy, Yoon stands for a tough course towards North Korea, rapprochement with the former colonial power Japan and good relations with the USA.
Lee stands for a more moderate course towards Pyongyang and China. The head of the DP is being investigated for corruption in several cases. He denies all allegations.