SEOUL: South Korea’s left-leaning ruling party has won a landslide election victory, partial results showed on Thursday, after the coronavirus pandemic turned the political tide in President Moon Jae-in’s favor. His Democratic party secured an absolute majority in the National Assembly, its first for 12 years, on a turnout of 66.2 percent — the highest at a parliamentary election since 1992. South Korea was among the first countries to hold a national election during the pandemic, with citizens still being asked to maintain social distancing after enduring one of the worst early outbreaks of Covid-19. The main conservative opposition United Future Party (UFP) and its satellite party were forecast to secure a total of 103 seats. Thae shed a tear as he sang South Korea’s national anthem after his win was confirmed early Thursday.

Source: Manila Times April 16, 2020 03:24 UTC