S. Korea ruling party wins big
Scholar: Moon’s ‘coronavirus diplomacy’ boosts voters’ confidence
Seoul: South Korea’s left-leaning ruling party wins a landslide election victory, results show after the coronavirus pandemic turned the political tide in President Moon Jae-in’s favour.
His Democratic party yesterday secured the largest absolute majority in the National Assembly since the advent of democracy in 1987, on a turnout of 66.2% – the highest at a parliamentary election for 28 years.
Just a few months ago, Moon was threatened by scandals over power abuse and sluggish economic growth, while critics called his dovish approach towards North Korea unrealistic.
But the South’s relatively quick and effective handling of the epidemic – it has also exported test kits to at least 20 countries – was a boon for Moon and his party ahead of the polls, largely seen as a referendum on his performance.
Koreans’ confidence in Moon’s administration was boosted by his so-called “coronavirus diplomacy”, including recent phone calls with at least 20 national leaders, said politics scholar Minseon Ku.
She added that Moon had successfully framed the pandemic as an “opportunity for South Korea to restructure its economy, capitalising on industries like AI and biopharma”.
In a statement, Moon said he felt a greater sense of responsibility than joy at the outcome.
South Korea was among the first countries to hold a national election during the pandemic, with citizens still asked to maintain social distancing after enduring one of the worst early Covid-19 outbreaks.
All voters were required to wear protective masks, clean their hands and don plastic gloves, and undergo temperature checks on arrival at the polling station.
Those found to have fevers cast their ballots in separate booths disinfected between each user.
Moon’s Democratic party and a sister organisation took a total of 180 seats in the 300-member National Assembly.
The main conservative opposition United Future Party (UFP) and its satellite secured 103.
Former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho became the first defector ever to be directly elected to the South’s parliament, winning for the UFP in Seoul’s wealthy Gangnam district.
Moon’s position was not at issue as he is directly elected, but the absolute majority “should give his administration greater momentum,” said Andrew Yeo, a politics professor at the Catholic University of America.