(LEAD) DP wins resounding majority in another defeat for PPP

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) was certain to retain a majority in the National Assembly in Wednesday's general elections in a major setback for the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and President Yoon Suk Yeol. Contrary to TV exit polls, however, the broader opposition bloc was expected to fall short of a two-thirds majority or at least 200 seats as the PPP was expected to secure about 110 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. This combined photo shows officials of the main opposition Democratic Party (L), including it leader Lee Jae-myung, clap at the National Assembly in Seoul on April 10, 2024. In contrast, officials of the ruling People Power Party, including its interim leader Han Dong-hoon, look gloomy at the National Assembly in Seoul on April 10, 2024. (Yonhap) With more than 90 percent of the ballots counted in 254 constituencies as of 3 a.m. Thursday, the DP was leading in 160 districts, including many in the Seoul metropolitan region, while the PPP was ahead only in 91 districts, mostly in its stronghold in the country's southeast. Up for grabs are 300 seats in the National Assembly, with 46 of them to be allocated to the parties according to their proportion of the vote. Of the votes cast for proportional seats, more than 60 percent have been counted. In the proportional race, the PPP's sister People Future Party was leading with 38 percent, followed by the DP's sister Democratic United Party with 26 percent and the Rebuilding Korea Party, a minor opposition party led by scandal-tainted former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, with 23.46 percent. Final results are expected around 6 a.m. The ballot count monitoring room of the ruling People Power Party remains mostly empty at the National Assembly in Seoul on April 10, 2024. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) This year's vote carried extra weight for the PPP as a failure to regain a majority could potentially render the Yoon administration a lame duck for the remaining three years of his single five-year term, ending in 2027. The PPP has pleaded for voter support, imploring that the Yoon administration has been unable to push its reform agenda properly forward for the past two years due to the uncooperative parliament under opposition control. The DP, on the other hand, has urged voters to pass stern judgment on what it calls the "incompetent" Yoon administration, accusing it of causing the economy and the livelihoods of the people to worsen seriously and mishandling a series of controversial issues for the past two years. Following the release of exit poll results Wednesday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon expressed disappointment. "The PPP did its best to do politics that uphold the will of the people, but the exit poll results are disappointing," Han said after watching the results at the National Assembly with party members. "We will watch the results of vote counting until the end." Han is set to make an announcement regarding the election outcome later, probably after the final outcome, contrary to the tradition of the party leader making the announce ment amid the voting count. Lee Jae-myung (C), head of the main opposition Democratic Party and a candidate in the Gyeyang-B district in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, is at his election office on April 11, 2024, amid forecasts by TV exit polls of his party's landslide victory in the general elections the previous day. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) Following the announcement of his victory in Incheon's Gyeyang-B district early Thursday, DP Chairman Lee emphasized that he will stop the regression of the country's state affairs and make it move toward the future once again. With 99.98 percent of the vote counted, Lee secured 54.12 percent against 45.45 percent won by former Land Minister Won Hee-ryong of the PPP. Cho, the former justice minister, also hailed the exit poll results as a victory for the people. "The people have won," Cho said after watching the exit polls Wednesday. "The people have made their intent clear that it is a verdict handed down to the Yoon Suk Yeol government." Cho said the results showed that the people can "no longer put up with the regression" of the government, urging Yoon to humbly accept the election outcome. Officials of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party, including its leader Cho Kuk (C, front row), react at the National Assembly in Seoul on April 10, 2024, as TV exit polls project their performance in the general elections to choose 300 lawmakers as positive. (Yonhap) Observers have stressed the significance of the wider Seoul area, considering it the primary battleground that will ultimately shape the election outcome. Most constituencies in the region, including 46 in Seoul, are expected to be won by DP candidates. In contrast, some PPP candidates emerged victorious in some districts after closely contested races. In Seoul's Dongjak-B district, Na Kyung-won of the PPP was on the verge of securing victory against DP candidate Ryu Sam-young. Na would become a five-term lawmaker if confirmed. In a surprise outcome, Lee Jun-seok, an ousted former leader of the PPP, also secur ed his first-ever parliamentary seat in the Hwaseong-B district in Gyeonggi Province. Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party smiles after securing victory in the Gyeonggi Hwaseong-B district, where he is running for a parliamentary seat, on April 10, 2024. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) Voter turnout recorded the highest in 32 years. A total of 14,259 polling stations across the nation closed at 6 p.m. Wednesday, after some 29.66 million, or 67 percent, of the total 44.28 million eligible voters had cast their ballots for 12 hours, according to the National Election Commission. The results were tentative. The turnout was 0.8 percentage point higher than the 2020 tally of 66.2 percent, marking the highest turnout for general elections since 1992, when the turnout came in at 71.9 percent. Source: Yonhap News Agency