Let's begin with the local elections held in South Korea on Wednesday.
The final ballots are being counted,... but the results are more or less confirmed.
The results show a landslide victory for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.
For more on the victories and defeats.... and what they could mean for the various parties
and the government,...
I'm joined in the studio by our political correspondent Kim Min-ji.
Min-ji, a long night for you,... but the results became apparent shortly after voting ended...
Mark, ___ percent of votes have been counted,...
but with majority of regions leading by a overwhelming margin,... by the wee hours it
was pretty much confirmed who would be the elected.
Voter turnout was at 60-point-2 percent, tentatively -- the second highest for a local election,...
and the first time in more than 20 years it has topped the 60 percent mark.
Now the results like you said, show a massive win for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.
Out of 17 districts,... it claimed victory in 14 of them,... including three traditional
conservative strongholds.
Let's take a closer look at the graphics for the posts of mayor and governors of South
Korea's 17 metropolitan cities and provinces.
What's significant about these positions is that they are seen as a springboard to national
leaders later in their political careers.
Right, there's a good chance that among the faces we saw last night, one of two might
go on to be president one day.
Now... in some regions,... the winner totally dominated -- winning 70, 80 percent of the
votes.
Usually these local elections are seen as a barometer of public sentiment towards the
government... so the public seems to have given the government a strong vote of confidence.
What were some factors that led to the ruling party's victory?
Well most pundits have pointed to the developments on the Korean peninsula in regards to North
Korea,... of playing a favorable factor in this year's local elections.
This also bumped up the approval rating of the Moon Jae-in administration and the party
itself.
And a distinctive feature this time round was that people said they wanted to support
the president's peace initiative.
And the fact that the elections were largely overshadowed by the summit between North Korea
and the U.S.,... fresh allegations regarding the candidates themselves,... or even ongoing
issues such as an online opinion rigging scandal or even the faltering economy,... were pushed
out of the spotlight.
At the other end of the spectrum, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party wasn't able
to position itself well enough as a strong alternative.
It still hasn't been able to completely cut off its relations to impeached former president
Park Geun-hye,... and it's been more or less critical of everything the government has
been doing -- so people haven't really been able to regain much trust in the party.
Hence, the issues they brought up, didn't receive much support or interest from voters.
That obviously played a factor in the by-elections,... having been held on the same day.
Out of the twelve districts that were up for grabs,... the
ruling party took eleven.
And that's sure to give it an influence boost in National Assembly.
For more on what this means, here's a report by our Kim Mokyeon.
One party is feeling great, the other is in a very uncertain position now.
For the ruling party, it was definitely a celebratory mood.
The party's chair Choo Mi-ae held a press conference last night,... thanking voters
for showing their support,... adding they will work harder for peace on the peninsula,...
and bettering people's lives.
Ruling party candidates that were elected also made their respective victory speeches
at their camps.
But, it's obviously a very different atmosphere over at the Liberty Korea Party.
The party's leadership and lawmakers probably have heavy hearts.... as they weren't able
to turn things around,... and they fell well short of winning six areas.
Hong Joon-pyo, the chair of the party said he will take responsibility for the results
-- so we will have to see if he steps down.
Other minor parties also are very disappointed -- with
none of them able to win any mayor or governor posts,... nor add new parliamentary seats.
Yes, the people spoke very loudly on Wednesday.
The implications of these results can't be underestimated as it has flipped the country's
political landscape on its head...
Well, the landslide for the ruling party, it also means a devastating loss for the main
opposition.
That might lead to some serious political reshuffling -- which mostly will include,...
a change in party leadership, and later perhaps the formation of a coalition,... or defections
to other parties,... so some parties could change quite a bit from how they look right
now.
But the results will give the ruling party a boost in that it will be easier to get President
Moon Jae-in's policy agendas rolling... and even at parliament.
But it's not all good news.
Some experts also say it's important to keep a balance between the progressive and conservative
blocs,... in order to keep the ruling party in check.
They also point out that, the results of
the local elections don't necessarily mean that the people are happy with everything
the ruling party
is doing.
Rather, it's the positive developments on the peninsula regarding North Korea that's
made the environment favorable for them... and
that they will have
to work extra hard before the next elections.
At the same time, the main opposition party needs to reflect on the outcome,... and use
it as an opportunity to revamp its image.
Well thanks for staying up all night... and putting all this together for us, Minji.
We'll have to keep an extra close eye on how the main opposition
party reacts today.