Kweon Seong-dong, right, of the ruling People Power Party, lifts his hands with his wife after his win was confirmed at his office in Gangwon Province, Thursday. Yonhap

Politicians close to President Yoon Suk Yeol as well as former presidential aides and ministers met with differing fates in Wednesday's general elections.

Most of the key pro-Yoon figures within the ruling People Power Party (PPP) managed to survive a crushing defeat for the party. On the other hand, only half of 16 former presidential aides and only three out of seven former ministers won a seat amid growing public skepticism about the Yoon government's management of state affairs.

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, one of the key pro-Yoon figures within the ruling party, secured a fifth term as a lawmaker in a district in Gangwon Province.

Other pro-Yoon figures, Reps. Lee Chul-gyu and Yoon Han-hong, were elected for their third term in constituencies in Gangwon Province and South Gyeongsang Province, respectively, while Rep. Park Sung-min secured a second term in Ulsan.

Kweon led the governing party as a floor leader around the time when the Yoon government was launched in May 2022, while Yoon Han-hong led the president's push to relocate the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to Yongsan District.

Chang Je-won, another key pro-Yoon figure, did not run this time, but he still showed off his political influence by helping a PPP candidate running in his constituency be elected there.

However, the performances of former presidential aides were subpar, as only eight out of 16 managed to secure parliamentary seats.

Kim Eun-hye, a former senior presidential secretary for public relations who ran for a parliamentary seat representing the Bundang-B district in Gyeonggi Province, speaks to reporters after her victory was confirmed at her office in Seongnam, Thursday. Yonhap

Successful runners included Kang Seung-kyoo, former senior presidential secretary for civil society who ran in a district in South Chungcheong Province; Kim Eun-hye, a former senior presidential secretary for public relations who ran in the Bundang-B district in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province; and Joo Jin-woo, former legal affairs secretary who ran in Busan's Haeundae-A constituency.

Former ministers saw similar results as only three out of seven, including former Unification Minister Kwon Young-se and former Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho, were chosen by voters. Kwon and Choo were elected in Seoul's Yongsan District and Daegu's Dalseong County, respectively.

On the other hand, former Land Minister Won Hee-ryong lost to Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), in Incheon's Gyeyang-B district.

Former Land Minister Won Hee-ryong of the ruling People Power Party speaks to his supporters at his office in Incheon, Wednesday. He lost to Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, in Incheon's Gyeyang-B district in the general elections that day. Yonhap

Former Foreign Minister Park Jin and former Patriots Minister Park Min-shik also lost to their DPK rivals in the Seodaemun-B and Gangseo-B districts in Seoul, respectively.

Most of the pro-Yoon figures and former government officials were elected in traditional strongholds for conservatives, while those who ran in key battlegrounds were mostly defeated.

PPP insiders view these results as a judgment of the public on the Yoon government, saying that it remains uncertain whether Yoon's aides, who were elected this time, would be able to continue to take the leadership and exert their political influence within the party as they did in the past two years.

"Following our defeat in the elections, calls are increasing on the government to reexamine and adjust its management of state affairs," a PPP official said, asking not to be named. "In this situation, there would be not much Yoon's aides can do at the Assembly."