Sharjah24 – Reuters: South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's ruling party emerged victorious in local elections, vote counts showed on Thursday, giving a boost to him and his plan to steer the economy into recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tens of millions of South Koreans went to the polls on Wednesday to elect 17 metropolitan and provincial chiefs, as well as seven members of the national assembly.
Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) cemented its power in important regions in what was seen as an early test of the president who took office last month after winning a March election by a margin of just 0.7%. Read full story
"We take the election results as a call from our people to revive the economy and to better take care of their livelihoods," Yoon said in a statement.
Ruling party incumbents defeated challengers for the posts of mayor of South Korea's two biggest cities, the capital Seoul and port city of Busan.
PPP candidates also won five of the seven parliamentary seats up for grabs, representing a gain for it of one seat in the opposition-controlled assembly.
Stakes were high for Yoon as he seeks to stabilise runaway housing prices, boost provincial economies and expedite recovery from the pandemic with a 300-member parliament dominated by the now opposition Democratic Party.
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