GNP hit by election debacle

The ruling Grand National Party suffered a massive setback during yesterday’s parliamentary by-elections.



Out of five parliamentary seats up for grabs, the ruling party secured none. The main opposition Democratic Party won one seat, the New Progressive Party also won one while independent candidates won the remaining three seats.



In the Bupyeong district in Incheon, DP candidate Hong Young-pyo, a former employee of Daewoo Motors, beat GNP candidate Lee Jae-hoon, a former vice finance minister. Hong won 49.54 percent of the vote.



In the Deokjin district in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, former Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, an independent, beat DP candidate Kim Keun-sik, a North Korea specialist at Kyungnam University. Chung won 72.27 percent of the vote.



In the Wansan constituency, also in Jeonju, former spy chief Shin Kuhn, an independent, beat DP candidate Lee Kwang-chul, winning 50.3 percent of the vote.



In the Ulsan district, Cho Seung-soo of the New Progressive Party beat GNP candidate Park Dae-dong, former president of the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation. Cho won 49.20 percent of the vote.



In the Gyeongju district in North Gyeongsang Province, former four-star Army general Chung Soo-sung, an independent, was set to beat GNP candidate Jeong Jong-bok, a former GNP lawmaker. Chung won 48.97 percent of the vote as of 11:50 p.m.



The voting rate was 40.8 percent for the five parliamentary by-elections and averaged around 30 percent for all 16 by-elections.

The other elections were for one small city mayor, two local education chiefs and eight local councilors.

The outcome of the by-elections is expected to have a significant impact on the political landscape.



By Song Sang-ho

(sshluck@heraldm.com)