Yoon vows to reform state affairs after election defeat

Lee Kwan-seop, presidential chief of staff, holds a press briefing on the results of the parliamentary election at the presidential office in Seoul, April 11. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed to reform state affairs to reflect people's will following the ruling party's crushing defeat in the general elections, the presidential office said Thursday.

"I will humbly accept the will of the people expressed in the general election, and will strive to reform the administration and do my best to stabilize the economy and enhance people's livelihoods," Lee Kwan-seop, presidential chief of staff, quoted him as saying during a press conference.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as well as three senior presidential aides, including Lee, offered to step down to take responsibility for the election defeat, according to the office.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) won 161 out of 254 directly contested seats, while the PPP won only 90 seats. Including proportional seats, the DPK and its satellite party secured 175 seats and the PPP and its satellite party garnered 108 seats in the 300-member National Assembly.

Yoon had hoped the elections would allow his ruling conservative party to regain control of the National Assembly and help pass legislation key to fulfilling his campaign pledges and completing reforms during the remaining three years of his single, five-year term.

However, the resounding defeat is expected to stall his agenda but also prompt soul-searching within his administration and the ruling party.

In the early days of his presidency, Yoon could have pushed policies on the back of public support, but that support has dwindled as seen in the election outcome and his approval ratings of 30-something percent in recent months.

Yoon is the first president since Korea's democratization in 1987 to work with an opposition-controlled parliament for all five years of his term.

A senior presidential official said Yoon has considered the election results mean the public's assessment on his state affairs in the last two years.

"We will soon take time to reflect on the results and their cause, and make further announcements," the official said.

On whether the remark signals Yoon's intention to communicate with the opposition parties, the official said it could be interpreted in that way.

Since taking office in May 2022, Yoon has not held a formal meeting with DPK leader Lee Jae-myung, who faces an array of corruption investigations that he argues are politically motivated. (Yonhap)