Bring about real change for the better
The conservative ruling People Power Party (PPP) snatched a landslide victory in the local elections Wednesday, giving a political boost to the new Yoon Suk-yeol administration. It won 12 out of 17 races for metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, including Seoul and Busan. It also grabbed five National Assembly seats in parliamentary by-elections in seven constituencies.
The election results indicated that voters have given sweeping support to the PPP and the Yoon administration so that they can stably manage state affairs. At the same time, voters dealt a severe setback to the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) due to their political tricks and policy blunders. The rival parties should accept the outcome humbly.
The local polls are carried out to elect mayors, governors and councilmembers in order to boost local autonomy and grassroots democracy. This year, the elections were seen as an extension of the March 9 presidential poll in which Yoon, a political novice and former prosecutor general, won by a narrow margin of just 0.73 percentage point over the DPK's candidate Lee Jae-myung.
The sweeping victory for the PPP is in stark contrast to the previous local elections in which the Liberty Korea Party, the predecessor of the PPP, suffered a crushing defeat against the DPK. This shows how rapidly the political landscape has changed over the past four years. This time, voters harshly judged the DPK, which has become arrogant and self-righteous since it gained power following the impeachment of then President Park Geun-hye in 2017.
The PPP and the Yoon administration should take the election win as an opportunity to better serve the people and the nation. The country is faced with mounting global and domestic challenges, including the escalating great power rivalry between the U.S. and China, the prolonged war in Ukraine, growing military threats from North Korea and deteriorating economic conditions.
It is high time for the ruling camp to move forward to push for its agenda aimed at restoring democratic values and ushering in a fair and just society. Yoon needs to take advantage of voters' support to advocate freedom, human rights and a market economy. He should also take the lead in forging cooperative ties with the DPK which holds 170 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. His administration and the ruling party cannot do anything without support from the DPK.
Most of all, the governing camp should leave no stones unturned to bring all the people together to promote national unity. It should work together with the opposition to end divisive politics and present a vision for a better future. Many people have already been fed up with partisan struggles and confrontations. Their growing apathy and antipathy to politics was well reflected in the 50.9 percent voter turnout, the second lowest ever for a local election.
It is equally important to improve the livelihoods of the people who are being increasingly impacted by runaway inflation, higher interest rates and soaring housing prices. The Yoon government must work out detailed measures to speed up the economic recovery, create more jobs and increase incomes for workers. It should bring about a real change for the better.
The conservative ruling People Power Party (PPP) snatched a landslide victory in the local elections Wednesday, giving a political boost to the new Yoon Suk-yeol administration. It won 12 out of 17 races for metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, including Seoul and Busan. It also grabbed five National Assembly seats in parliamentary by-elections in seven constituencies.
The election results indicated that voters have given sweeping support to the PPP and the Yoon administration so that they can stably manage state affairs. At the same time, voters dealt a severe setback to the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) due to their political tricks and policy blunders. The rival parties should accept the outcome humbly.
The local polls are carried out to elect mayors, governors and councilmembers in order to boost local autonomy and grassroots democracy. This year, the elections were seen as an extension of the March 9 presidential poll in which Yoon, a political novice and former prosecutor general, won by a narrow margin of just 0.73 percentage point over the DPK's candidate Lee Jae-myung.
The sweeping victory for the PPP is in stark contrast to the previous local elections in which the Liberty Korea Party, the predecessor of the PPP, suffered a crushing defeat against the DPK. This shows how rapidly the political landscape has changed over the past four years. This time, voters harshly judged the DPK, which has become arrogant and self-righteous since it gained power following the impeachment of then President Park Geun-hye in 2017.
The PPP and the Yoon administration should take the election win as an opportunity to better serve the people and the nation. The country is faced with mounting global and domestic challenges, including the escalating great power rivalry between the U.S. and China, the prolonged war in Ukraine, growing military threats from North Korea and deteriorating economic conditions.
It is high time for the ruling camp to move forward to push for its agenda aimed at restoring democratic values and ushering in a fair and just society. Yoon needs to take advantage of voters' support to advocate freedom, human rights and a market economy. He should also take the lead in forging cooperative ties with the DPK which holds 170 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. His administration and the ruling party cannot do anything without support from the DPK.
Most of all, the governing camp should leave no stones unturned to bring all the people together to promote national unity. It should work together with the opposition to end divisive politics and present a vision for a better future. Many people have already been fed up with partisan struggles and confrontations. Their growing apathy and antipathy to politics was well reflected in the 50.9 percent voter turnout, the second lowest ever for a local election.
It is equally important to improve the livelihoods of the people who are being increasingly impacted by runaway inflation, higher interest rates and soaring housing prices. The Yoon government must work out detailed measures to speed up the economic recovery, create more jobs and increase incomes for workers. It should bring about a real change for the better.
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