| The leadership of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea bows during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday, in a gesture to express gratitude for voters' support in Wednesday's general election. / Yonhap |
By Kang Seung-woo
The ruling bloc achieved a sweeping victory in the general election, Wednesday, winning nearly three-fifths of the 300 National Assembly seats.
The landslide win has made the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and its "satellite" offshoot Civil Together, an unprecedented political presence that will be able to pass any bill without the cooperation of other parties ― except for constitutional revisions that require a two-thirds majority ― a huge boost for the Moon Jae-in administration
According to the National Election Commission, Thursday, the DPK won 163 out of 253 constituencies while its affiliate was given 17 proportional representation seats. The main opposition United Future Party (UFP) and its satellite, the Future Korea Party, won 84 directly contested seats and 19 for proportional representation. The satellite parties are expected to merge with their "parent" parties soon.
The minor opposition Justice Party had six seats, including five proportional representation slots, followed by the People's Party and the Open Minjoo Party, both of which were given three from the proportional representation poll.
This is the first time for a liberal party to win a super-majority in the National Assembly since 2004. In addition, the DPK will go down in history as the first party to grab 60 percent of the vote in a general election since the country adopted free democratic general and presidential elections in 1987.
The general election served as a referendum on President Moon, who is now in his third year in office and in that respect, the outcome is likely to help him smoothly operate state affairs amid the coronavirus pandemic and a sluggish economy.
During the outgoing Assembly, Moon often saw his key reform initiatives stalled as the rival parties bickered over them, preventing any progress; but in the incoming parliament, the ruling bloc will be able to avoid such political conflicts as it can now fast-track the passage of bills without support from the other parties.
"I feel a heavy responsibility as the people entrusted the DPK and Civil Together with the task of overcoming the COVID-19 crisis and the economic slowdown by supporting us in the election," Lee Nak-yon, co-chairman of the DPK's election committee, said in a party meeting at the National Assembly, Thursday. Lee won a fifth term after defeating UFP Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn in the Jongno District of central Seoul.
"We will calmly but clearly act so that the Moon administration's state affairs agenda will progress with concrete outcomes," he added.
While the ruling party is reveling in the election win, the UFP, which has now suffered a fourth-straight election loss dating back to 2016, has found itself in post-election turmoil.
Hwang, once a leading hopeful for the 2022 presidential election, announced Wednesday night that he would step down from his post to take responsibility for the conservative party's defeat.
Kim Chong-in, chief of the UFP's election committee, admitted Thursday that his party failed to meet the public's call for change.
"I take the election results as the people's call for the opposition party to reform itself," Kim said during a party meeting at the Assembly.
"I believe that the Moon administration is still leading the nation in the wrong direction, but the people's decision means we have to support the government. We will follow it."