Around 190 Seats for Pan-Regional Opposition, Ruling Party Suffers Defeat with 108 Seats
Yoon's Closed-mindedness, Dogmatism, and Authoritarian Leadership to Blame
"Even Medical Reform Is Out of Reach... Beyond Judgment, Retribution"
Although the constitutional amendment prevention line was barely crossed, the People Power Party suffered a crushing defeat in the 22nd general election. As of 10:30 a.m. on the 11th, they secured only 108 seats out of the total 300, including the proportional representation satellite party, 국민의미래 (Gukmin-ui Mirae).
This is the first time in constitutional history that the ruling party has suffered such a defeat in a midterm evaluation election held during the third year of its administration. During the 16th National Assembly election under the Kim Dae-jung administration, the main opposition party, the Grand National Party, won 133 seats. However, the ruling Democratic Party at the time secured 115 seats, with a difference of only 18 seats. The ruling party's defeat appears to be the result of the centrist and nonpartisan voters largely casting their ballots for the opposition, effectively serving as a judgment on the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. The People Power Party struggled in the metropolitan area, which holds the most seats, and in the casting vote region of Chungcheong, failing to gain as many seats as expected.
On the 20th, citizens at the Seoul Station waiting room are watching President Yoon Suk-yeol's opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting regarding the collective action of doctors opposing the increase in medical school admissions. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Experts attribute the defeat to the centrist voters turning their backs on President Yoon due to his communication failures, arrogance, and authoritarian leadership since taking office. Additionally, controversies such as First Lady Kim Geon-hee's luxury handbag scandal and former Ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-seop's departure controversy further punished the administration. Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon analyzed the election results, saying, "The wave of judgment against the administration was very strong," and added, "The centrist voters definitely joined in, and even some conservatives sided with them." Without this, such a margin of votes would not have been possible.
In the context of rising inflation and worsening public hardship, President Yoon's controversial remarks about the price of green onions and the government's failure to provide a proper solution to the prolonged medical service gap also acted as negative factors. Han Dong-hoon, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, appealed for support by emphasizing the need to prevent legislative dictatorship through the 'opposition party check theory,' but failed to overcome the wall of judgment against the administration. Analysts also suggest that the ruling party's election strategy of relying on the 'judgment theory' instead of presenting policies or visions was a strategic misstep.
Political commentator Park Sang-byeong said, "When President Yoon Seok-yeol was elected, there was public expectation that he would bring political innovation by breaking the Yeouido (political) norms, but he completely went in the opposite direction," adding, "He blocked communication and showed a completely contrary approach, and the people not only judged but punished him." He continued, "The political ignorance shown by President Yoon over the past two years has completely ruined politics, and the three major reforms he loudly proclaimed seem to have disappeared. Even the medical reform he pushed at the last minute has fallen through, and in such a situation, asking for votes angered the people."
With the overwhelming victory of the opposition coalition, extreme confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties is expected from the opening of the 22nd National Assembly. The Democratic Party has already announced plans to push for a parliamentary investigation and special prosecutor law targeting President Yoon regarding the former ambassador Lee's departure controversy. The Innovation Party has pledged to join forces with the Democratic Party to pass the 'Han Dong-hoon special prosecutor law' and the 'Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor law.' As the opposition coalition takes the lead in policy and legislative initiatives, an early lame-duck period for the Yoon Seok-yeol administration seems inevitable.
Within the party, responsibility for the election defeat is expected to intensify, especially among senior lawmakers from the metropolitan area. Na Kyung-won, the People Power Party winner in Seoul Dongjak-eul, said on KBS Radio that day, "I think it means that our party and ruling party need to reform first and get closer to the people," adding, "We will make even more strenuous efforts ourselves." Ahn Cheol-soo, the People Power Party winner in Gyeonggi Seongnam Bundang-gap, said, "The current government's actions did not seem to meet the people's expectations," and added, "A government and ruling party with executive power should solve livelihood issues and concretely plan and execute future visions to give hope, but I think they were negligent in that." Yoon Sang-hyun, the People Power Party winner in Incheon Dong-gu Michuhol-gu-eul, expressed his election thoughts, saying, "We could confirm the seriousness of public sentiment during the election process," and added, "Regardless of my survival, we suffered a crushing defeat. I bow my head again to apologize for failing to properly understand the people's sentiment."
Political commentator Kim Sang-il said, "From now on, the political attitude of the People Power Party and the administration will have a significant impact," adding, "If the president humbly accepts the election results and shows a definite change in attitude, it will be difficult for the Democratic Party to insist solely on aggressive tactics." Kim predicted, "However, if the presidential office does not show any change in attitude, the public may judge that the judgment against the administration is not over yet," and "The Democratic Party will continue to receive public support for some time."
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