Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung speaks on the campaign trail in Suyeong District, Busan.
AMN / WEB DESK
IN South Korea, as the April 10 general elections approach, local analysts have predicted victory of liberal opposition parties over the ruling party.
In the 2020 parliamentary elections, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) secured a landslide victory, claiming 180 seats in the 300-seat Assembly. This contrasted with the 103 seats obtained by the predecessor of the current ruling People Power Party (PPP). Out of the 300 National Assembly seats up for grabs, 254 are directly contested, while 46 are filled through proportional representation.
“I believe opposition parties are poised to triumph in next week’s elections. The PPP may encounter a notable setback, potentially facing a loss of more seats compared to four years ago,” said Park Chang-hwan, a political commentator and professor at Jangan Unviersity, reports the Korean Times .
“The opposition parties are likely to take more than 180 seats, while the ruling party and its satellite party could secure between 100 and 110 seats,” said Kim Sang-il, a political commentator. Lee Joon-han, a professor of political science at Incheon National University, projected that the PPP may secure a maximum of 120 seats.
In their respective forecasts released on Wednesday, the PPP anticipates gaining approximately 90-100 seats, while the main opposition DPK projects to secure 110 seats or more.
Analysts observe that the greater Seoul area, Chungcheong regions and Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province are major battlegrounds that may influence the outcome of the elections.
“Voters in the greater Seoul area are known to be particularly sensitive to issues surrounding housing prices and real estate taxes. In the Chungcheong region, the PPP is widely expected to secure victory, given that it’s the hometown of the president’s father. The strategic significance of Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province for the PPP lies in its ability to exert greater influence on the surrounding regions,” said Eom Kyeong-young, director of the Zeitgeist Institute, a private political think tank.
Lee mentioned Incheon’s Gyeyang-B constituency, the Dongjak-B constituency in southwestern Seoul and the Yangsan-B constituency in South Gyeongsang Province are particulary competitive.