South Korea’s opposition suffers heavy defeat at the hands of President Yoon’s party

South Korea’s liberal opposition party scored a landslide victory in Wednesday’s parliamentary election, dealing a heavy blow to President Yun Seok-yeol and his conservative party, but is likely to fall short of an absolute majority.

Data from the National Election Commission and network broadcasters show that the Democratic Party is expected to win more than 170 of the 300 seats in the new legislative body. As of 5:55 a.m. on the 12th, more than 99% of the votes have been counted. Thursday (Wednesday 2055 GMT).

Forecasts show that a liberal party thought to be aligned with the Democrats is expected to gain at least 10 seats.

Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, said: “When voters chose me, it was your judgment of the Yoon Seok-yeol government. You gave the Democratic Party the responsibility to take responsibility for people’s livelihood and create a better society.”

Lee Myung-bak won a seat in Incheon, a city west of the capital Seoul, defeating a conservative heavyweight candidate seen as a key ally of the president.

Some analysts see the tight race as a referendum on Yun, whose approval ratings have been hurt by a cost-of-living crisis and a series of political scandals.

“Judgment” was a common theme throughout comments from opposition victors, many of whom focused their campaigns on Yoon’s mismanagement of the economy and his refusal to admit wrongdoing when his wife accepted a Dior bag as a gift.

First lady Kim Kun-hee has not been seen in public since Dec. 15, and Yoon was absent from the vote, reflecting the view of some analysts and opposition members that she has become a serious political liability for the president and his People’s Party.

His People’s Power Party (PPP) is expected to win more than 100 seats, meaning Yoon will avoid a two-thirds opposition-controlled supermajority to overcome a presidential veto and pass constitutional amendments.

But some analysts say Yoon could find herself in lame duck status as the first two years of her constitutionally allowed five-year single term come to an end.

The National Electoral Commission (NEC) is expected to announce official results later on Thursday. Nearly 29.7 million people, or 67% of eligible voters, voted, according to NEC data.

It marked the highest turnout ever for a parliamentary election, although the turnout was lower than the 2022 presidential vote that narrowly brought Yoon to power.

Mr Yoon, who takes office in May 2022, is not running in the election this time, but his ability to pass legislation could be seriously compromised by the People’s Party’s poor performance.

His approval ratings have been low for months, hampered by promises to cut taxes, ease business regulations and expand family support in a society that is aging the fastest in the world.

Mason Rich, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said Yoon may now focus more on his overseas agenda, although those plans could also be at risk if the opposition seeks to make budget cuts with a majority.

“Given his likely lame duck status, Yoon’s temptation will be to focus on foreign policy while he still has legal authority,” Rich said.