South Korea’s ruling Grand National Party, or GNP, is taking a big hit after Wednesday's local elections. The opposition Democratic Party won seven of 16 major races for the country's largest cities and provinces… surprising the GNP and analysts.
As a result, party chief Chung Mong-joon quit on Thursday… taking responsibility for the poor showing in local elections.
President Lee Myung-bak's chief of staff Chung Chung-kil also says he will resign to take responsibility for defeat.
[Chung Chung-kil, President Lee’s Chief of Staff]: male (Korean)
"I humbly listen and accept the voice of rebuke by the Korean people. As chairman of the election campaigning committee, I feel great responsibility, so I want to take this chance to express my wish to resign."
Chung has been considered a leading candidate to succeed Lee and was expected to run again as party chief in June and the election results came as a surprise to many.
Lee's uncompromising stand against North Korea, after blaming it for sinking one of its navy ships, had seen him and the GNP bounce back in opinion polls from a voter backlash… after a decision to scrap a plan to shift a large part of the government from Seoul and rows over U.S. beef imports and a river project.
The GNP candidate narrowly defeated a Democrat in the race for Seoul mayor but the incumbent conservative lost in the giant port city of Incheon.
The current GNP governor of Gyeonggi Province kept his office.
But the GNP was shut out in the rest of the country except in its traditional stronghold in the southeast. Analysts say it’s a sign of voter disillusionment with some of President Lee's policies.
[Yang Seung-ham, Professor, Yonsei University]: male (Korean)
"We have had a quite unexpected and shocking outcome in the elections. We expected a landslide victory of the ruling party, but the results are quite contrary to our expectations."
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