Moon’s Democratic Party of Korea, which had 120 seats before the vote, and its satellite party could win at least 155 places in the 300-seat National Assembly, exit polling from national public broadcaster KBS showed. Voter turnout was at about 66%, the highest in 24 years and the projected outcome may indicate a show of support for Moon’s handling of the crisis.
If confirmed, it would mark the first time in 12 years that the progressive party will have an outright majority in the country’s National Assembly. Final results may not be known until Thursday morning.
South Korea was holding the biggest election since the coronavirus pandemic spread around the globe -- and the apparent win for Moon might spur other world leaders with good poll numbers to follow suit.
Lee Nak-yon speaks to members of the media after voting in Seoul on April 15.
Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg
The popularity for Moon’s government’s increased following its handling of the virus in what was initially one of the world’s hardest-hit countries. New infection rates have fallen this month to their lowest levels since February.
“I went out to vote because I believe it’s important to take part in shaping our country, especially with the hit from the coronavirus crisis,” said Kyung-eun Lee, 29, who works at a startup and voted just outside Seoul.
The decision to hold the election contrasts with some U.S. states that have delayed presidential primaries and France, which suspended some local elections after cases began to multiply. Poland plans to conduct its May 10 presidential election by mail-in ballot.
A voter wearing a glove casts a ballot in Seoul.
Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg
South Korea took precautions to keep voters safe: They were required to stand at least one meter (3 feet) apart, cover their faces, wear disposable gloves and be ready to submit to temperature checks, while voting booths were frequently disinfected.
More than 1,100 candidates from 21 political parties signed up for 253 constituencies with direct elections. Another 300 candidates are fighting for 47 seats decided by support for the parties.
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Still, for any leaders weighing whether to call an election -- such as those in Singapore and Japan -- the win for Moon’s party could show the political benefits of moving ahead with a vote despite the risks. The virus provided an opportunity for Moon to rebuild support battered by an economic slowdown, corruption scandals involving presidential aides and resurgent tensions with North Korea.
“Voters are likely to forgive previous transgressions and reward a decisive crisis response,” said Miha Hribernik, head of Asia risk analysis at consultancy Verisk Maplecroft. “Unfortunately, we believe South Korea is currently one of the rare exceptions to the rule. Most countries have mishandled their initial response to the pandemic, and many world leaders face a reckoning at the polls over the coming years.”
Postponing the election would have been a worrisome precedent in South Korea’s three decade-old democracy, with many Moon supporters being among those who took to the streets in the 1980s to end autocratic rule.
“South Koreans have been traumatized by living under the authoritarian regimes of the past and see elections as essential,” said Duyeon Kim, a senior adviser for Northeast Asia at the International Crisis Group. “Not even the Korean War stopped them from voting in the 1952 presidential race or the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009 by-elections.”
— With assistance by Iain Marlow, and Shinhye Kang