Opposition parties expand Assembly dominance

Opposition parties secured a total of 192 seats in the 300-member National Assembly in the general election Wednesday, expanding their dominance in the parliament and threatening to constrain the ability of South Korea's conservative president to pursue his policy drive. The ruling bloc managed to defend the 100-seat threshold that could otherwise have deprived President Yoon Suk Yeol of his veto power, a vote count showed Thursday morning. It was a third victory in a row for the center-left, wh

April 11, 2024

DP wins resounding majority in crushing defeat for PPP

The main opposition Democratic Party retained a majority in the National Assembly in Wednesday's general elections in another major setback for the ruling People Power Party and President Yoon Suk Yeol. With almost all votes counted, the DP won 161 out of 254 directly contested seats, while the PPP won only 90 seats. Including proportional seats, the DP and its satellite party were expected to win 176 seats and the PPP and its satellite party 109 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. T

April 11, 2024

Opposition wins by landslide

South Korea’s liberal main opposition party and its allies clinched a sweeping victory in Wednesday’s general election, an outcome which is expected to further frustrate President Yoon Suk Yeol’s pursuit of key initiatives over his remaining three years in office. With only six proportional representation seats left to be assigned, the Democratic Party of Korea and its satellite Minjoo Union Party had secured 172 seats in the single-chamber, 300-member National Assembly, accord

April 10, 2024

Cho Kuk’s nascent party makes waves

The nascent party formed and led by Cho Kuk, who was the former Minister of Justice for President Moon Jae-in's Democratic Party of Korea, appeared to stand out in Wednesday’s National Assembly election, possibly securing unusual success as a third party, as suggested by exit polls. Cho’s party, whose official English name is Rebuilding Korea Party, was anticipated to earn by far the most seats among several third parties that popped up ahead of the election over the past few months.

April 10, 2024

Estimated turnout hits highest figure in 32 years

Voter turnout for this year’s parliamentary elections tentatively reached 67 percent, marking the highest turnout for general elections in 32 years, according to the election watchdog on Wednesday evening. Approximately 29.66 million out of 44.28 million eligible voters headed to 14,259 polling stations nationwide were open for 12 hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. to elect the new 300-member National Assembly, according to the National Election Commission in a statement released at 7:30 p.m. The

April 10, 2024

[Election 2024] What 200 seats means in Korean politics

In South Korea’s relatively short history of democracy, no single political force has ever attained a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. The number is critical, because a group controlling 200 of the unicameral Assembly’s 300 seats can override any presidential veto, rewrite the Constitution, and even impeach the president, although the last two require confirmation via a referendum and the Constitutional Court, respectively. Exit polls, conducted by the nation’s t

April 10, 2024

Yoon likely to face post-election political attacks

President Yoon Suk Yeol's fate was hanging in the balance as Koreans went to the polls Wednesday, The exit poll and the early ballot counting of the legislative general election suggested a gloomy outlook for the ruling bloc, which could send the conservative president into an early lame-duck phase, with three years remaining in his term. The exit poll suggested that opposition parties could secure two-thirds or more of the seats in the 300-member National Assembly, which would grant them enough

April 10, 2024

[Election 2024] Opposition rejoices; Humbled ruling party says will watch election results till end

With exit polls predicting a bigger than expected victory for the liberal opposition Democratic Party and its allies, approaching the critical two-thirds majority, on Wednesday evening, the mood among the main two parties stood in stark contrast to each other. "With a humble heart, we will observe the people's choice until the very end," said Lee Jae-myung, the party's chief, looking unfazed by the apparent victory. Yet, a festive mood could not be hidden, as party official

April 10, 2024

Landslide victory projected for opposition: exit polls

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and its satellite party are expected to get close to two-thirds of the 300 seats in the National Assembly in Wednesday's general election, marking an overwhelming victory over the ruling party, joint exit polls conducted by broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS showed. The Democratic Party and the Minjoo Union Party are projected to win between 183 and 197 seats, while the ruling People Power Party and its satellite People Future Party are expected to w

April 10, 2024

From longest ballot to new voting culture, election brings new twists

South Korea saw the longest ballot in history in voting for the general election held across the country Wednesday, at 51.6 centimeters. The length of this year's ballot surpassed that of the previous general election in 2020, which also broke records then, at 48.1 centimeters. The ballot's record-breaking length came after 38 parties registered to compete for the 46 proportional representation seats in the National Assembly, which will be allocated to parties based on the total number

April 10, 2024

How big election factor was Yoon's medical reform plan?

The medical standoff between the government and the medical community has impacted the nation's health care sector and been at the center of controversy since February. However, it was not generally included on campaign agendas, as rival parties feared triggering backlash due to the sensitivity surrounding the issue. Earlier in February, the government announced the state plan to boost the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 seats, claiming that it was to address a chronic shortage of

April 10, 2024

[Election 2024] No more stamps on hands: Voting proof shots evolve

Sharing voting proof shots on social media has been a trend in Korea for some time. In this election, the trend has evolved further with young voters preparing special papers to stamp voting marks on instead of stamping the mark on their hands. Unsurprisingly, these special papers reflect the voter’s personality, often featuring objects of their recent fascination, or even the baseball team they are rooting for. On X, Instagram and other social media platforms, a variety of proof shots

April 10, 2024

Torn ballots and illegal broadcasts: What happened on election day

  South Koreans on Wednesday went to the polls for the 2024 general election, selecting the lawmakers to represent them in the 22nd National Assembly. With stakes running high, a number of incidents at polling stations across the country were reported. Here are a few of the events that took place on the election day.   Father disapproves of daughter's vote, tears up ballot   A 52-year-old man and his 22-year-old daughter went to a polling station in Samhak-dong, Gunsan, North Jeo

April 10, 2024

Voter turnout 64.1 percent at 5 p.m., higher than 4 years ago

April 10, 2024, 5 p.m. The nationwide voter turnout for the 2024 general election continues to be higher than the numbers at the same time in the previous parliamentary election, marking 64.1 percent as of 5 p.m. The figure was 1.5 percentage points higher than the 62.6 percent turnout at 5 p.m. during the 2020 general election. The final turnout of the previous parliamentary election was 66.2 percent. Votes submitted in the two-day early voting period last week, which saw a record turnout of

April 10, 2024

[Election 2024] What voters said

Wednesday’s general election was to pick the 300 members for the next four-year session of the National Assembly, but voters who spoke with The Korea Herald said their ballots extend beyond the next parliament, embodying their hopes and expectations for Korean politics as a whole, with President Yoon Suk Yeol included. Here are their voices. ‘It's all a mess’ says 87-year-old voter leaning on cane Cherry blossoms had burst into full bloom just outside a Hangangno-dong

April 10, 2024

Clashes over China mark late campaign

South Korea’s two major parties traded barbs over their respective stance on China and foreign policies over the final days leading to the National Assembly election on Wednesday. Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea leader, slammed President Yoon Suk Yeol’s “touted value-based diplomacy” as having an adverse impact on the country’s economic partnerships with China. “Our economic domain is shrinking globally because the Yoon administration is too

April 10, 2024

S. Koreans head to polls amid deepening political divide

South Korean voters headed to the polls Wednesday for the country's 22nd parliamentary elections, as the country's political landscape continues to experience a deepening divide and increasing tensions. The outcome of the latest elections was expected to shape the policy road President Yoon Suk Yeol will walk for his remaining three years in office. The possible scenario of the liberal main opposition party maintaining a majority in the single-chamber, 300-member National Assembly was projected

April 10, 2024

[Election 2024] 3 focal points of general election

As South Koreans vote Wednesday to elect all 300 members of the National Assembly, there are some crucial questions and pivotal issues to keep an eye on. Here, The Korea Herald highlights three focal points before the results come in. 1. How big will the liberal presence be? The election's likely victor appears clear: the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The question is, how big will their win be? The liberal party held onto an absolute majority position in the previous parlia

April 10, 2024

First lady remains out of public view on Election Day, inviting attacks

  South Korea's controversy-ridden first lady, Kim Keon Hee, reportedly cast her vote unbeknownst to the public or apparently the presidential office, raising questions and drawing attacks from President Yoon Suk Yeol's political opponents. Liberal YouTube channel "Park Yeol TV" revealed in a post in the channel's community section on Tuesday that Kim had voted during early voting on Friday at a polling station in Itaewon 1-dong of Yongsan-gu, Seoul, which is near the presidential

April 10, 2024

Voter turnout at 56.4% at 2 p.m.

April 10, 2024, 2 p.m.   The nationwide voter turnout for the 2024 general election on Wednesday was 56.4 percent as of 2 p.m., 3.4 percentage points higher than the 53 percent recorded at the same time in the previous 2020 general election. The figure includes votes submitted in the two-day early voting period last week, which saw a record turnout of 31.28 percent of the electorate. Voter turnout for the election has been higher than the last general election for both the 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

April 10, 2024