Crushing poll defeats designed for South Korea's ruling party
08 April, 2021
South Korea's conservative opposition won landslide victories in elections for the mayors of the country's two biggest cities, benefits showed on Thursday (Apr 8), in a undesirable signal for Moon Jae-in's Democratic Party a year prior to the next presidential poll.
Both Democratic-placed posts became vacant this past year therefore of sexual harassment allegations, with Seoul mayor Park Won-soon killing himself while the leader of the southern port of Busan resigned.
Between them, both municipalities take into account around 25 % of the national populace and the vote was seen as a significant barometer of community opinion prior to the March 2022 presidential election.
In Seoul, Oh Se-hoon of the conservative People Power Get together defeated his Democratic opponent by 57.5 % to 39.2 %, in line with the National Election Commission, winning all of the city's 25 districts.
Oh pledged to "embrace the many residents of Seoul who are found in pain".
The conservatives' margin of victory in Busan was even higher, at 62.7 per cent to 34.4 %.
Moon and his Democratic Party have been struggling with plummeting ratings lately amid public outrage above soaring housing rates, deepening inequality, and corruption and sex abuse scandals involving senior officials.
"I solemnly accept the people's reprimand," Moon said, based on the presidential spokesperson, promising: "I'll lower myself and perform state affairs with a good much heavier impression of responsibility."
The two new mayors will serve out the remaining 14 months of their predecessors' four-year terms.
It was the very first time turnout at neighborhood elections had exceeded 50 per cent, the commission added.
Moon - who is limited to a single term by South Korea's constitution - found his authorization ratings plunge to a good record-low 32 % the other day, with 58 per cent disapproving of the work he is doing, according to a study by Gallup Korea.
The most recent vote result is in stark contrast to the parliamentary elections twelve months ago, when the Democratic Party enjoyed a sweeping victory that gave it a super-majority in the National Assembly.
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