Han's dramatic victory in Buk-gu-gap seen as key to conservative revival; Cho suffers stinging defeat in Pyeongtaek
The Democratic Party of Korea won nine seats, the People Power Party four and an independent one in Wednesday's National Assembly by-elections across 14 constituencies, billed as a "mini general election."
The Democratic Party had aimed to hold all 13 of its existing seats but instead lost four, leaving the party with a disappointing result. The broader opposition bloc, by contrast, expanded from one seat to five — a performance widely seen as noteworthy.
The most closely watched races pitted two prominent presidential hopefuls against each other in the country's toughest electoral battlegrounds: Han Dong-hoon in Busan's Buk-gu gap and Cho Kuk in Pyeongtaek-eul in Gyeonggi Province. Their fortunes diverged sharply.
According to the National Election Commission, Han, running as an independent, won Buk-gu gap with 42.96 percent of the vote, edging out Democratic Party candidate Ha Jung-woo (41.26 percent) and People Power Party candidate Park Min-sik (15.76 percent).
Shortly after his victory was confirmed around 2:04 a.m. Thursday, Han said he would "develop Busan's Buk-gu, rebuild conservatism and check the runaway Lee Jae Myung administration to restore balance to the Republic of Korea." He added that he would "fulfill the mission entrusted to me, putting the people of Buk-gu, Busan and the nation first."
"I was again reminded of how fearsome and great the will of the people is," he said. "I sincerely thank the citizens of Buk-gu for opening the path to Buk-gu's future and the revival of conservatism."
Han's entry into the National Assembly positions him as the single biggest variable in any realignment of the conservative camp.
Analysts have raised the possibility of a direct clash between Han and the People Power Party leadership — including party leader Jang Dong-hyeok, who had expelled him from the party — over the contest for the next party chairmanship.
Cho, meanwhile, managed only 27.24 percent in Pyeongtaek-eul, finishing behind People Power Party candidate Yoo Eui-dong (34.83 percent) and Democratic Party candidate Kim Yong-nam (28.77 percent).
Speaking at his campaign office in Pyeongtaek around 3 a.m. Thursday, Cho said the top priority of the June election had been to achieve "People Power Party zero" nationwide. "There were meaningful results across the country, but in Pyeongtaek I could not complete that mission," he said, bowing his head. "It is entirely my shortcoming and my responsibility."
The party's campaign slogan of "People Power Party zero" was also widely judged to have fallen short following Cho's defeat.
The loss is seen as a setback for merger talks between Cho Kuk Innovation Party and the Democratic Party. Political observers say the unexpectedly fierce contest between Cho and Democratic Party candidate Kim Yong-nam left both sides badly bruised, making it unlikely that merger discussions will resume any time soon.
The Democratic Party held nine seats: Song Yeong-gil in Incheon's Yeonsu-gap, Kim Nam-jun in Gyeyang-eul, Im Mun-yeong in Gwangju's Gwangsan-eul, Lee Gwang-jae in Gyeonggi Province's Hanam-gap, Kim Nam-kuk in Ansan-gap, Kim Eui-gyeom in North Jeolla's Gunsan-Gimje-Buan-gap, Park Ji-won in Gunsan-Gimje-Buan-eul, Jeon Eun-su in South Chungcheong's Asan-eul and Kim Seong-beom in Jeju's Seogwipo.
The People Power Party scored come-from-behind wins in Ulsan's Nam-gu gap and South Chungcheong's Gongju-Buyeo-gun-Cheongyang-gun by-election, with candidates Kim Tae-gyu and Yun Yong-geun respectively. Lee Jin-suk won in Daegu's Dalseong-gun.
As a result of the elections, the Democratic Party's seat count rises from 152 to 161, while the People Power Party grows from 106 to 110. Although the broader opposition bloc made meaningful gains, observers note that the existing majority-opposition dynamic in the Assembly remains difficult to overturn.
bigroot@heraldcorp.com
