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| Democratic Party of Korea Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae, second from right, visits a market on Jeju Island, Tuesday, during her campaign to support Jeju governor candidate Moon Dae-lim, third from left. / Yonhap |
By Choi Ha-young
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) will likely sweep the June 13 by-elections, which will take place in tandem with the local elections, according to a poll released Tuesday.
The by-elections are to fill the 12 lawmaker positions vacated after former lawmakers quit to run for the local elections or were stripped of their seats due to illegalities.
The poll showed the DPK was dominant in 11 out of 12 electoral districts, while the rival conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP) was defeated everywhere. The ruling party failed to take the first place only in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, where it did not nominate a candidate. There, an independent candidate gained 29.1 percent, ahead of 22.8 percent of an LKP candidate.
The outcome would deal a serious blow to the LKP, because it is likely to lose in districts that have long been considered as home turf of the conservatives. Gimcheon was one of such regions, with Lee Cheol-woo of the LKP serving as a lawmaker for the district for the last 10 years before quitting the post to run for the post of North Gyeongsang provincial governor.
In the 11 districts, DPK candidates were not only leading the races but doing so with huge margins over other candidates, mostly LKP members, including in Ulsan, another stronghold of the conservatives.
The poll shows the conservative bloc is still failing to appeal to the public following the massive corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye who belonged to the predecessor of the LKP.
Based on the opinion survey ― jointly conducted by the three major broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS ― the LKP is likely to struggle in the second half of the 20th National Assembly, as the gap in the number of seats with the DPK is likely to grow. The LKP now has 113 seats and the DPK, 118.
In general, the Assembly speaker position is filled with a lawmaker from the party with the largest number of seats. After former Speaker Chung Sye-kyun retired from the position on May 29, the LKP has boycotted the election to pick a speaker in hopes of becoming the majority party in the by-election.
The DPK securing more seats ― around 130 seats according to the poll ― is likely to facilitate President Moon Jae-in's reform policies by passing related bills more easily than before.
Regarding the local elections as well, the DPK is expecting good results, particularly in the Gyeongsang and Gangwon regions, where the conservatives have been dominant for decades. The DPK has touted a slogan of "Peace and Economy" in line with Moon's peace overtures.
"The party is doing better than expected in the Gangwon areas, which share borders with North Korea," Lee Chun-seok, who is leading the DPK's election campaigns, said in a press conference, Tuesday. "There, we will prove that peace can guarantee economic growth."
