South Korean opposition wins parliamentary vote in landslide

South Korean opposition wins parliamentary vote in landslide

South Korea’s liberal opposition party, the Democratic Party (DPK) has won the country’s general election by a landslide. 

The win means they retain control of parliament. 

The DPK and smaller opposition parties jointly won 192 of 300 seats in the National Assembly. 

The vote is widely seen as a midterm referendum of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has three years left in office. 

Yeol’s party leader Han Dong-hoon has resigned and the country’s PM Han Duck-soo has offered his resignation.  

It’s a massive blow for Yoon and his People Power Party (PPP) which has been struggling to achieve its agenda in a legislature dominated by the DPK. 

The DPK’s win means they will be able to fast-track and push legislation through parliament. 

“This isn’t the Democratic Party’s victory but a great victory for the people,” said DPK leader Lee Jae-myung on Thursday.

“Politicians on both sides of the aisle must pool our strength to deal with the current economic crisis. The Democratic Party will lead the way in solving the livelihood crisis,” he told reporters.