Several senior officials of conservative President Yoon Seok-Yeol’s administration and the leader of the People’s Power Party (PPP) have confirmed that vote counting results have confirmed that the left-wing Democratic Party has secured control of the National Assembly in Wednesday’s midterm elections. He submitted his resignation on Thursday.
The Democratic Party overcame a turbulent election period in which leader Lee Jae-myung survived after being stabbed in the neck by a would-be assassin. On the day Lee was discharged from the hospital, three party members left the party, protesting that Lee was running an authoritarian and corrupt “system” within the party.Mr. Lee was in there. court On Tuesday, he appeared in court for a hearing on criminal charges accusing him of bribery and other corruption during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam.
Helping the Democratic Party is the growing unpopularity of the Democratic Progressive Party under Yun.Mr. Yoon confronting His own corruption scandal – his wife Kim Kun-hee was allegedly caught on video receiving a $2,200 Dior bag as an illegal gift – and sour During a visit to a supermarket, he claimed that the price of green onions was reasonable, aggravating the public’s feelings towards him.
His view, which omitted the statement that the government had to intervene to curb onion price inflation, left voters with a deep understanding of the difficulties average Koreans face in their country’s economy. I interpreted this as a sign that I had not done so.
As of Thursday, authorities recognized the Democratic Party. take The federal parliament, a 300-member parliament, has 161 seats and controls a total of 175 seats, including affiliated parties that contest a small number of seats elected through proportional representation. The PPP, on the other hand, holds 90 seats and controls 108 seats including affiliated parties.
Han Dong-hoon (right), leader of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party (PPP), and John Linton (left), an American doctor living in Seoul, head of the PPP Innovation Committee, and his Korean name In Yo-han during an election event. The night before the Seoul parliamentary elections on April 9, 2024, in which he joined hands with Mr. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that this election was hotly contested and had the highest turnout in 32 years. An estimated 67% of voters came to the polls on Wednesday.
In response to the election results, Prime Minister Han Deok-soo said the following. I made a bid his resignation. Yun’s office confirmed that all of the president’s senior aides in positions unrelated to national security have also tendered their resignations. It was unclear at press time whether Yoon had accepted part or all of his resignation, but he is expected to do so.
PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, who took over the party in December and was previously seen as a rising star in conservative politics, also resigned. Han said at a press conference, declareddirectly apologized for the election results, saying, “Public opinion is always right.”
“On behalf of our party, I apologize for not being elected by the people.” Mr. Han said, “I accept the meaning of the result harshly and am deeply remorseful.” “I take full responsibility for the election results and am resigning,” he said.
The prime minister said, “I hope that the promise of political reform that I made to the people will be carried out without delay, and I would like to think about how we can restore the trust of the people.”
Political analysis of Korean media was suggested Han’s career as a politician is likely to be short-lived, but he may return after years of “self-reflection.” In his public remarks, Mr. Han did not specify what he intended to do after leading the PPP.
Yun himself issued He issued a statement regarding the election through Chief of Staff Lee Kwang-seop, one of the officials who resigned on Thursday.
The statement said, “We humbly accept the will of the people expressed in the general election, strive to reform the government, and do our best to stabilize the economy and improve people’s livelihoods.”
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung appears to have accepted that his victory was not the result of the overwhelming support of the people for him, but rather of negative sentiment toward Yoon.
Supporters hold cellphone torches at an election rally for South Korea’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) on the eve of the Seoul parliamentary elections on April 9, 2024. (Photo by Anthony WALLACE/AFP)
Lee: “The voters’ choice is the decision of the Yun Seok-Yeong administration.” Said on Thursday. “I want to do everything in my power to prevent the national government from going backwards and move toward the future again, as the voters have requested.”
Mr. Lee was the Democratic Party’s candidate for the 2022 presidential election, but narrowly lost to Mr. Yoon in one of the country’s most competitive presidential elections in living memory.
Mr. Yoon took office as president with low approval ratings, but given the opposition party’s majority, he will now have to contend with the National Assembly blocking many of his domestic policies. Yun is term-limited and cannot run for re-election, leaving the same parliament to govern until the end of his presidential term.
of Korea JoongAng Ilbo was suggested Mr. Yoon may also face internal opposition from PPP winners in the midterm elections who want to avoid any association with him for fear of losing their popularity.
The newspaper said, “Perhaps conscious of Mr. Yun’s chronically low approval rating (which has rarely exceeded 40% since he was sworn in), some PPP candidates have urged the president even before the election to get involved in politics. “They called for him to reduce his involvement and focus on national politics,” the newspaper reported. observed. “These voices will become even louder if the PPP realizes that its relationship with Yun could jeopardize its chances of winning the presidential election in 2027.”
