10 Apr 2021 / 08:59 H.
(Refiles to correct spelling of losses in headline)
By Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL, April 1 (Reuters) - Roiled by property scandals and economic failures, South Korea s liberal ruling party looks set to lose the mayoral offices in the two largest cities, making it harder for President Moon Jae-in to achieve the policy goals of his last year in office.
Tens of millions of South Koreans will begin early voting on Friday to elect mayors of the capital Seoul and the port city of Busan among other local offices up for grab in the April 7 election.
The vote comes as Moon and his progressive Democratic Party grapple with plunging approval ratings over runaway home prices, deepening inequality and souring ties with North Korea, which could presage a broader political shift ahead of a presidential election in March.
Posted : 2021-04-08 16:37
Updated : 2021-04-08 16:41
Supreme Council members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea bow to apologize for the party s crushing defeat in Wednesday s Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, at the National Assembly, Seoul, Thursday. All eight members resigned to take responsibility for the election result. Yonhap
By Kim Rahn
The leadership of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) stepped down Thursday to take responsibility for the party s crushing defeat by the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) in Wednesday s Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections.
The election loss virtually meant the downfall of the supermajority ruling party which controls 174 seats in the 300-strong National Assembly. The election results also showed how the public had grown weary of the ruling bloc s policies, making it impossible to railroad controversial bills as it had previously done until now.
Apr 8, 2021
President Moon Jae-in’s Democratic Party was handed its worst defeat in five years in mayoral elections in South Korea’s two biggest cities, a troubling sign for his progressive bloc just 11 months before a presidential vote.
Final results released Thursday showed conservative Oh Se-hoon scored a landslide victory in the race in Seoul over ruling party candidate Park Young-sun, a former minister for startups. Oh picked up 57.5% of the vote to 39.2% for Park. In Busan, Park Hyung-jun of the conservative People Power Party defeated Kim Young-choon from Moon’s ruling party by 62.7% to 34.4%, data from the National Election Commission showed.
Moon and his party suffer big election losses in Seoul and Busan japantimes.co.jp - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from japantimes.co.jp Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Main opposition party s victory to change political landscape
Posted : 2021-04-07 23:33
Updated : 2021-04-08 05:38 Members of the main opposition People Power Party cheer at party headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday, as the exit poll for the Seoul mayoral by-election showed a likely victory for the party s candidate Oh Se-hoon, front row second from right. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Ruling party s defeat to accelerate lame-duck presidency for Moon
By Jung Da-min
The main opposition People Power Party s (PPP) victory against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in Wednesday s by-elections is expected to allow the former to take the lead in reorganizing the opposition and gain the upper hand in preparing for the presidential election next year.