eFM News

[Anchor]

The overall landslide victory by the ruling Democratic Party in Wednesday's general elections is seen as the result of its overwhelming win in the Seoul metropolitan area.

The governing party also managed to secure a majority in the swing region of Chungcheong.

Julie Sohn reports.

[Reporter]

The ruling party won in resounding victory in the capital, winning 41 seats out of 49 constituencies, while the United Future Party secured just one seat in Yongsan and seven in the traditional conservative stronghold of Gangnam.

Results were similar in nearby Incheon and Gyeonggi Province where the opposition party lost 51 out of 58 seats to the DP.

Analysts say voter sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area was swayed towards the ruling party following repeated blunt remarks and harsh words against the Moon Jae-in government by opposition candidates.

Hong Hyeong-sik, a director at Hangil Research, said such negative remarks worked against them.

[Clip]
"Derogatory remarks represent negative propaganda. They relied on repeated negative remarks against their opponents, but the South Korean public is well educated and aware of what is happening. The opposition candidates lost voter support after their campaign focused mostly on ideologies."

The election results showed a clear split between the progressive-leaning southwestern region and the conservative-leaning southeastern region, respectively dubbed Honam and Yeongnam.

The UFP prevailed in the conservative stronghold of Daegu and North Gyeongsang while the DP secured a majority of votes in Gwangju and Jeolla provinces.

Meanwhile, the ruling party's landslide victory in Wednesday's elections is also being attributed to the overwhelming support for candidates in Daejeon and surrounding Chungcheong provinces known for a large number of swing voters and weak party affiliations.

Julie Sohn, eFM News.■

<Image: Yonhap News>