Following Wednesday’s parliamentary election, South Korea’s Prime Minister and senior officials of the presidential office have offered to resign en masse.
According to Yoon’s Office, the conservative president Yoon Suk Yeol, Han Duck-soo, and all of his senior presidential advisors have resigned after Wednesday’s election dealt a major blow to Yeol’s party. The election secured liberal opposition forces control of the parliament until 2027 when Yoon will complete his five-year single term.
Yoon will probably lose his domestic agenda, and his grip on the Party. Experts say that he will have to deal with the intensifying political assault of the opposition during his remaining three-year term.
Yoon’s office has not yet confirmed whether Yoon will accept the resignation.
According to South Korean media, after the majority of votes were counted, it appeared that the main opposition Democratic Party, along with its satellite party, had won 175 seats combined in the 300-member National Assembly.
Yoon’s People Power Party, which is Yoon’s party of government, was expected to win 108 seats.
The official results are expected to be released on Thursday.
According to the National Election Commission, the final turnout of South Korea’s 44,000,000 eligible voters was the highest in a parliamentary elections since 1992.
Han Dong Hoon, the leader of the People Power Party and the ruling party, announced his resignation at a press conference to accept responsibility for losing the elections.
He said, “I apologize on behalf of my party for not being good enough to be the choice of the people.”
Yoon, the former top prosecutor, who assumed office in 2022 will remain in power, and his foreign policy will probably not change.
Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party’s leader who lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential elections, has praised Wednesday’s results.
Lee, who spoke on Thursday, said: “The results of the parliamentary election are not the victory of the Democratic Party but the great victories by our people.” “Now that the elections are done, we can move on.” “Both the ruling and opposition parties must work together to solve economic and public welfare problems.”
The president is South Korea’s most powerful official, but the Prime Minister is its second-highest. The second official would assume power in the event of the president’s incapacitation.
The new parliament will begin its four-year term on May 30th.
