SEOUL (AFP) - – South Korea's opposition party Wednesday beat
the ruling party in parliamentary by-elections which tested a
recent rebound in the popularity of President Lee Myung-Bak's
conservative government.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) took three of the five
contested seats, including two in Suweon and Ansan around the
capital. The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) took the other two
seats.
The five seats were previously held by four GNP lawmakers and
one from the DP. All were forced to quit after being convicted of
election law violations.
The by-elections were seen as a vote of confidence in Lee's
government, which is seeking public support for policies to shore
up a nascent economic recovery.
Lee and his party won crushing victories in the 2007
presidential poll and the 2008 general election.
But his popularity waned in summer 2008 amid mass street
protests over a decision to resume US beef imports, and the onset
of the global economic crisis.
In April his party suffered a crushing defeat in by-elections,
losing all five parliamentary seats up for grabs at that time to
independent or opposition candidates.
The economy is now showing strong signs of recovery thanks
partly to government stimulus measures and aggressive interest rate
cuts.
The central bank Monday reported 2.9 percent growth in the third
quarter compared with April-June, the biggest quarter-on-quarter
growth for over seven years.
One opinion poll released on October 12 showed Lee's approval
rating at 54 percent compared with less than 20 percent at the
height of the beef controversy.
The by-elections will not sway the balance of power. With two
additional seats, the GNP now controls 169 seats in the 299-seat
parliament, while the DP has 86.
Analysts said Lee needed victory, especially in the area around
the capital, to push ahead with his free-market reforms.
"The outcome of today's elections, however, will not seriously
affect Lee's popularity, which runs high due to economic recovery,"
Sungkyunkwan University politics professor Kim Il-Young told
AFP.
The GNP had called on voters to support it to secure stable
administrative management.
"The election is a fight against unilateralism and for checks
and balance," DP leader Chung Sye-Kyun said in a statement.