Election Defeat Alerts Governing Camp
The outcome of Wednesday's local by-elections highlighted public sentiment that has been turning increasingly against President Lee Myung-bak and his Grand National Party (GNP) over the controversial deal to resume U.S. beef imports, analysts said Thursday.
Of 52 posts up for grabs, the GNP won only 10, while the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) took 22.
The GNP won only one of nine local government chief positions, while the UDP grabbed three. The remaining five went to independents.
It was the first time since the 2004 National Assembly elections that the liberal UDP has defeated its conservative rival.
The GNP said it humbly accepts the public mandate.
``Our party will repent what we did in a humble manner and vows to refresh itself to do better in the coming days," GNP Chairman Kang Jae-sup said at a meeting of the party's decision-making Supreme Council.
The UDP claimed that the people's deep distrust toward the Lee government was well manifested in the election results, reiterating its pledge to achieve renegotiation of the April beef deal Korea signed with the United States.
GNP spokeswoman Cho Yoon-sun said, ``We lacked communication with the public and failed to properly meet their demands."
Expressing gratitude to the public, UDP spokeswoman Cha Young said, ``We promise to pay back this public support by achieving renegotiation of the beef deal.''
Approval ratings of Lee, who marked his 100th day in office Tuesday, have dropped sharply to the low-20-percent range, according to latest polls. Lee's party won 153 out of 299 National Assembly seats in the April 9 elections, while the UDP garnered 81 seats.
Around that time, the GNP enjoyed support of more than 50 percent.
The UDP, which received support of 15 percent in the April elections, is enjoying an increase in public support.
Turnout in Wednesday's elections stood at 23.2 percent, the second lowest recorded in local elections, the National Election Commission (NEC) said. The lowest was 21 percent in June 2000.
The low turnout indicates growing voter apathy toward politics in the country, analysts said.