Seoul, South Korea - The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), South Korea's main opposition party, won a sweeping victory in Wednesday's parliamentary elections, dealing a major blow to the conservative ruling People's Power Party (PPP).
According to the National Election Commission (NEC), the DPK won 175 out of 300 seats, including 161 constituency seats and 14 proportional representation seats through its satellite party, the Democratic United Party.
On the other hand, the PPP won only 108 seats, including 18 proportional representation seats won by its satellite party, the People's Future Party.
This is the third consecutive victory for the Democratic Party, following its successes in the 2016 and 2020 general elections.
The election results are widely seen as a critical midterm referendum for President Yoon Suk Yeol, who will now be the first president to face an opposition-controlled assembly for his entire five-year term.
The government faces an increased risk of legislative setbacks to its budget and policy agenda, as the opposition bloc wields significant influence through its ability to "fast-track" bills and stop filibusters.
Minor parties such as the Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP), led by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, also made notable gains.
The RKP won 12 seats in its first election under the proportional representation system.
The election results highlighted the persistent regional divide in South Korean politics, with the DPK dominating the Seoul metropolitan area and the liberal southwest.
At the same time, the PPP's victories were concentrated in the conservative southeast.
The opposition's landslide victory consolidates the liberal party's position and creates an even larger opposition-dominated assembly for the next four years.
