Ruling Party Crushed in By-Elections
Two independents, former Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and former spy agency chief Shin Kuhn, took over the largest opposition Democratic Party (DP)'s strongholds by winning in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province in the by-elections Wednesday.
The election results, meanwhile, crushed the governing Grand National Party (GNP) because it failed to secure a single seat in five National Assembly seats up for grabs.
The GNP even lost in its stronghold Gyeongju race as independent Jeong Su-seong defeated GNP candidate Jung Jong-bok.
Campaign watchers say there is no doubt that the election outcome will make it difficult for GNP Chairman Park Hee-tae to exert strong leadership in the future.
Park told reporters hours after voting began that he expected his party to win at least three seats in the by-elections.
Although the main opposition DP barely secured a seat in the battleground Bupyeong race, it was cornered as well, because it lost control over its stronghold of Jeonju. Its situation may be slightly better than the battered GNP, though.
The triumphs of two independent candidates, Chung and Shin, indicate a massive wind of change in the DP in a very near future because they vowed to rejoin the party and overhaul it to make it more popular after the elections.
New Progressive Party (NPP) candidate Cho Seung-soo made his party finally secure a seat in the 299-member legislature, defeating GNP candidate Park Dae-dong in the Ulsan race.
Cho gained momentum in the last minute after a Democratic Labor Party (DLP) candidate dropped out of the race Sunday to support him.
Voter turnout stood at 34.5 percent, which was considered high.
Campaign watchers say heated campaigns in Gyeongju, whose rate (53.8 percent) was even higher than that of the National Assembly elections last year, and Ulsan (46.7 percent) contributed to the relatively high rate.
The battleground Bupyeong district saw the lowest turnout of 29.1 percent. Analysts say the uncertain future of GM Daewoo probably contributed to the voters' low expectation on the elections.