South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party wins landslide victory in local polls after Trump-Kim summit
It was the first election since President Moon Jae-in took office – who helped bring together the cold war foes for Tuesday’s unprecedented meeting
South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party (DP) won a landslide victory on Wednesday in local elections held the day after a historic summit between the United States and North Korea.
The triumph in the first election since President Moon Jae-in took office just over a year ago is widely seen as a boon to the country’s leader, who helped bring together the cold war foes for an unprecedented meeting after the two sides traded threats of annihilation.
Moon’s DP party won 13 of the 17 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial posts contested in Wednesday’s vote, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the National Election Commission.
These included Seoul, where some 20 per cent of the country’s 52 million population live. Current DP mayor Park Won-soon retained his post for a third term – cementing his status as a top presidential contender when Moon steps down in 2022.
The DP was also forecast to secure 10 of the 12 National Assembly seats up for grabs in parliamentary by-elections held simultaneously, with the remaining two seats going to the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and an independent.