Yoon poised for lame duck period as defeat looms for his party

South Korean opposition set to have two-thirds majority in National Assembly

- Wendy Teo

SEOUL With exit polls on April 10 indicating a significant election defeat for South Korea's ruling People Power Party (PPP), analysts have warned that President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration may be crippled in the National Assembly and be unable to push through policies.

They also say the opposition's anticipated victory signals the people's desire to punish the President for his administration's poor management, especially in economic matters, and should serve as a wake-up call for him to change the take-no-prisoners leadership style he has become known for.

As at 11pm Singapore time on April 10, the opposition Democratic Party (DP) had secured 159 seats and PPP 92, with 70 per cent of votes tallied.

Some 29.66 million people, or 67 per cent of eligible voters, cast their ballots on April 10, marking the highest voter turnout for National Assembly elections since 1992.

Preliminary indicators show that DP, the largest opposition party, could sweep 184 to 197 seats up from the 156 it currently holds in the 300-seat National Assembly. A two-thirds majority would give it the power to amend the Constitution.

Exit polls released by major broadcasters of about 500,000 people at 2,000 polling stations nationwide showed that PPP will win not more than 100 seats. It currently holds 114 seats.

Exit polls are largely on target, having last accurately predicted President Yoon's win over biggest rival Lee Jae-myung during the 2022 presidential election.

The final results are expected to be released only on April 11, as the ballot papers are being manually counted for the first time in 30 years. Election officials have said that machine sorting followed by manual counting would ensure transparency and prevent potential election rigging.