The South Korean election is a big gamble for the incumbent regime. Photo/Reuters
SEOUL – Campaign for legislative elections South Korea is progressing smoothly ahead of a vote on April 10 that will determine the makeup of the 300-member House of Representatives. The assembly will set much of the domestic political agenda for the next four years.
3 Interesting Facts about the South Korean Election
1. President Yoon Suk-yeol’s referendum
According to Reuters, this election was held almost two years after conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol won the 2022 presidential election by defeating Lee Jae-myung from the Democrat Party with a margin of 0.73% – the narrowest margin in South Korean history.
Yoon has experienced low levels of support for months and will lose further momentum if his People Power Party performs poorly in elections or is unable to gain a majority in parliament, which is currently dominated by the Democratic Party.
“With an opposition-led parliament, it has been difficult to push through or achieve policy over the past two years. “Without changes during the remainder of his term, it will be very difficult to do his job,” said Lee Jun-han, a political science professor at Incheon National University.
Analysts say Seoul’s foreign policy, which has sought closer ties with Washington and Tokyo under Yoon, will not change significantly whoever wins. South Korea’s strong leadership leaves little room for parliament to consider the president’s foreign policy agenda.
2. Haunted by the Economic Crisis
In recent polls, the cost of living and high food inflation emerged as key issues among voters. The price tag of spring onions made headlines after Yoon’s visit to the supermarket.
Another problem is the prolonged doctors’ strike carried out by trainee doctors and several senior doctors. Yoon showed the first signs of flexibility in his medical reform plans this week.
Polls show increasing public support for a compromise between doctors and the government that plans to increase medical school enrollment by 2,000 starting in 2025.
Political parties have also promised to tackle the fertility crisis with measures such as public housing and tax breaks. South Korea has the world’s lowest fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman gives birth to, and data shows the rate is likely to fall to 0.68 in 2024, surpassing the 0.78 in 2022, which was a record low .
Corruption is still a big problem. The most likely point of conflict is the ambassador to Australia who resigned last month amid controversy over his appointment while under investigation for corruption and the “Dior bag scandal” involving the First Lady. Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung faces trial on charges including bribery that will see him appear in court during the election cycle.
3. A third party emerges which becomes a threat
South Korea has a system of partial proportional representation in its legislative elections which means voters will cast one vote for a district representative, which has 254 seats in parliament. They will also choose political parties which will determine the acquisition of 46 proportional representation seats.
The emergence of a third party in recent polls is a surprise in Asia’s fourth-largest economy, where politics is often dominated by two major parties.
