Election Sentiment in the 10·16 By-Elections Tied at '2:2'... Where Will the Political Landscape Head Next?

Ruling and opposition parties each focus on defending their turf
Han Dong-hoon likely to demand strong reforms against Yoon
Opposition checks public sentiment... may adjust intensity of attacks

In the October 16 by-elections for four local government heads, the People Power Party and the Democratic Party each defended their strongholds, winning two seats apiece.

On the 16th, Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, confirmed victories in the by-elections for Busan Geumjeong District Mayor and Incheon Ganghwa County Governor, and through social media (SNS) stated, "We will lead change and reform of the government and ruling party according to the will of the people." Han said, "I consider this an opportunity given to the People Power Party and the government to change and reform," adding, "We will not miss this precious opportunity given in difficult circumstances."

Amid crisis situations such as controversies related to First Lady Kim Geon-hee and successive revelations by Myung Tae-gyun and others, Han, having defended his party’s strongholds, is expected to demand strong changes from President Yoon Seok-yeol and the government. Through private meetings scheduled for next week, Han is likely to make strong demands regarding President Yoon’s governance and the roles of the First Lady and others.

Han Ji-a, senior spokesperson for the People Power Party, said, "Today’s election results were a strong will and aspiration of the people for new change and development in South Korea beyond regional boundaries," adding, "We will swiftly reform and boldly innovate to be reborn as a party that aligns with the will of the people."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

For the Democratic Party, expectations were high as polls showed a close race in this election, but the counting results confirmed that the threshold in Busan and Gyeongnam (PK) remains high. Had the result of the Geumjeong District Mayor election been different, the Democratic Party was expected to intensify the judgment against President Yoon Seok-yeol. However, since the public sentiment thermometer has not yet heated up, voices calling for impeachment and other judgment offensives are likely to wait for more maturation time.

Regarding the election results, Kim Seong-hoe, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said, "Although we led a significant rise in support rates in traditionally conservative areas such as the Ganghwa County Governor and Geumjeong District Mayor elections, we did not win. However, compared to the 8th local elections held right after the presidential election, the support rate for Democratic candidates has risen, and the support rate for conservative candidates has fallen. It has been confirmed that public anger toward the Yoon Seok-yeol administration is shifting toward support for the Democratic Party," he self-assessed.

However, despite ongoing skepticism about public sentiment in Honam and the emergence of an alternative party called the Joguk Innovation Party, the Democratic Party’s complete sweep of the two Honam seats reaffirmed Leader Lee’s trust among the people of Honam, which is a point to be evaluated.