"Democratic Party Would Have Won Even Without COVID-19"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon evaluated the outcome of the 21st general election on the 15th, in which the ruling party, the Democratic Party of Korea, secured 180 seats, saying, "The era of a 1.5-party system, not a two-party system, has arrived as a new normal."
On that day, Jin wrote on his Facebook, "Whether we return to a two-party structure or solidify into a 1.5-party system, I don't know which is worse, but the latter seems more likely," he said.
He continued, "However, in Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party is the one party, and the Democratic Party and other parties combined make up the 0.5 party," adding, "In Korea, the Democratic Party is the one party, and the United Party and other parties combined make up the 0.5 party; that's the only difference."
He then pointed out, "This situation must now be accepted as the new normal."
He added, "There have been four elections: the 2016 general election, the 2017 presidential election, the 2018 local elections, and the 2020 general election. The Democratic Party won all of them, mostly by a landslide," and said, "Even without COVID-19 this time, the Democratic Party might have struggled a bit but would still have won."
Finally, he added, "This means that the mainstream of Korean society has shifted from the industrialization forces to the democratization forces."
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