Moon Jae-in's ruling Democratic Party wins South Korean election

Ballot drew high turnout despite being held amid coronavirus outbreak

Lee Nak-yon, South Korea's former prime minister and candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, and his wife Kim Suk-hee celebrate his victory in the parliamentary elections held on April 15, 2020. AFP / YonhapShow less

South Korea’s ruling liberal party secured a resounding victory in parliamentary elections, which had the highest turnout in nearly three decades despite the coronavirus sickening thousands and forcing social distancing at polling places.

The ruling Democratic Party and a satellite party it created to win proportional representative seats combined to win 180 seats in the 300-seat National Assembly, election officials said with vote-counting nearly complete Thursday. Meanwhile, conservatives suffered their worst showing in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area in years.

The comfortable majority is expected to embolden President Moon Jae-in’s government to pursue its key domestic and foreign objectives, such as reviving diplomacy with nuclear-armed rival North Korea, while it grapples with a historic public health crisis that is shuttering businesses and threatening livelihoods.

A South Korean woman wears a mask and plastic gloves to cast her vote in the Parliamentary election. Getty

South Koreans wear masks and plastic gloves as they queue up to cast their ballots for the Parliamentary election in Seoul, South Korea. Getty

Voters wearing masks in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease cast a ballot at a polling station. Reuters

Voters wait in line to cast their ballots in Seoul, South Korea. Reuters

An electoral worker wearing a face mask waits as voters fill in ballots at polling booths in Seoul, South Korea. Reuters

Voters wait in a line while maintaining social distancing in Seoul, South Korea. AP

Voters wearing face masks wait in line to cast their ballots at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Seoul, South Korea. Reuters

A voter wearing plastic gloves casts a ballot at a polling station in Seoul, South Korea. Reuters

Soo Yoon and Yoon Kyung, members of South Korean girl group Rocket Punch, pose for a photo after casting their ballots for the general elections at a polling station in Seoul, South Korea. EPA

People wearing masks wait in line to cast their ballots at a polling station in Seoul, South Korea. Reuters

A woman walks past a queue of voters wearing masks while waiting to cast their ballots at a polling station in Seoul, South Korea. Reuters

Clad in a dopo, a traditional men's outfit, Yoo Bok-yeop (2-L), a senior teacher of Yangji Village School, and his family members photograph themselves after casting their ballots. EPA

A South Korean woman has her temperature checked upon arrival to cast her vote. Getty

South Koreans wear masks and plastic gloves as they queue up to cast their ballots for Parliamentary election in a polling station amid the coronavirus outbreak in Seoul, South Korea. Getty Images

“We feel heavy responsibility, which outweighs our joy of winning the election,” Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan said in a party meeting. “We will make preemptive and aggressive efforts to overcome the novel coronavirus crisis and the threat it poses to livelihoods and the national economy.”

Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the conservative United Future Party, who lost to a Democratic Party candidate in a key Seoul district, apologised to his supporters for “failing to prevent the country from going in a wrong direction at an important time”.

More than 17 million South Koreans voted on Wednesday. When combined with the 11.8 million early and mailed-in votes, turnout was 66.2 per cent, the highest since 71.9 per cent turnout in a 1992 general election, the National Election Commission said.

Analysts struggled to explain the surprisingly high turnout. Some said fear and alertness over the pandemic may have driven voters to support Mr Moon’s government so it could fight the virus and its impact with more political stability.

Before the virus outbreak, Mr Moon's support was faltering over a decaying job market, corruption scandals surrounding key political allies and troubled ties with rival North Korea.

But surveys before the polls indicated growing support, reflecting public approval of an aggressive test-and-quarantine programme credited with lowering fatality rates for Covid-19 compared to China and some places in Europe and North America. As of Thursday, South Korea had more than 10,600 people infected with 229 confirmed deaths.

It drew contrasts with upended election cycles in the United States and Europe and possibly set an example for how democratic elections can be handled during a pandemic.

South Korean election and health officials had prepared safeguards to reduce the risk of the virus being spread.

Masks were worn by voters and poll workers. A metre of social distancing space was marked from nearby streets all the way to the voting booths. Voters who passed a temperature screening were given sanitising gel and disposable plastic gloves before entering booths.

Anyone with a fever was taken to a separate area to vote. People formally quarantined in their homes were escorted or monitored through tracking apps while they cast their ballots later than other voters. Those hospitalised or in isolation or quarantine could vote by mail or at temporary shelters during early voting last week.