For the first time in 16 years, a South Korean ruling party has failed to win a majority in a legislative election.
The surprise losses suffered by President Park Geun-hye’s Saenuri Party Wednesday revealed widespread public discontent with her conservative economic policies and growing division over her “get tough” approach to the North Korean nuclear threat.
Saenuri won only 122 out of 300 seats in the South Korean National Assembly according to the National Election Commission. Going into the election, the ruling party was projected to win a clear majority.
In addition to the stronger than expected opposition, Saenuri was also hurt when a number of its candidates defected from the party because the leadership did not back them during the nomination process and they ran as independents.
Taking responsibility for the party’s electoral defeat, Saenuri Party leader Rep. Kim Moo-sung announced his resignation on Thursday.
“We have shown arrogant and shameful acts from the nomination process and could not collect the power of our party and disappointed many people,” he said.
The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea won 123 seats in the unicameral parliament. Kim Jong-in, Minjoo’s interim leader, said the vote was a rebuke of Park’s economic policies that produced slow growth of 2.6 percent last year and youth unemployment that reached 12.5 percent in February.
