Liberals hand shock defeat to SKorea’s ruling party

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

South Korean leader Park Geun-hye is in danger of seeing out her presidency under lame duck status, as the country’s ruling party was overtaken by the main opposition in a shocking general election outcome, according to results made official Thursday.

Within hours, the conservative Saenuri Party’s chairman Kim Moo-sung offered to quit his post.

Wednesday’s nationwide vote had been expected to restore the Saenuri camp’s overall parliamentary majority, which had been narrowly lost since the previous general election in 2012.

Opinion polls and common sense suggested that the opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) would struggle as it suffered a split earlier this year when 20 of its lawmakers left to form the new People’s Party.

But spurred by the highest general election turnout in 12 years, at around 58 percent, the MPK won 123 seats out of an available 300 in the Assembly -- the Saenuri tally was just behind at 122 and the People’s Party managed a strong debut showing with 38 seats.

MPK leader Kim Jong-in told reporters that voters had delivered a stern judgment “on the botched economic policies” of the government and ruling party.

The implications are vast for both party politics and the presidential office, even if independent candidates rejoin the Saenuri Party to edge ahead of the MPK in terms of parliamentary seats.

For a start, opposition lawmakers will no longer need record-breaking filibusters of the kind that was seen several weeks back to try and block the president’s agenda, such as the labor reform proposals that caused mass street protests last year.

In theory, the MPK and the People’s Party could easily out-vote any bill proposed by Saenuri lawmakers.

Perhaps more out of hope than expectation, presidential spokesperson Jung Youn-kuk urged the 20th National Assembly to “become a new legislature that works for the people and takes care of people's livelihoods.”

The general election result also weighs heavily on the upcoming presidential election in Dec. 2017.

No longer will Kim Moo-sung be considered the likeliest Saenuri candidate, having announced his resignation “to take responsibility for the resounding defeat.”

Some pundits have suggested that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon could fill the ruling party’s void, although he previously served under a liberal South Korean government and may be courted by the MPK.

Another name that could now strongly reenter the frame is the People’s Party co-chairman Ahn Cheol-soo, who dropped out of the 2012 presidential race -- Ahn is the founder of an anti-virus software firm but has increasingly exerted his influence over local politics.