April 29, 2024
Analysis

Despite opposition win, ROK election just reinforced North Korea status quo

Democratic Party appears unlikely to focus on challenging Yoon’s hardline policy on DPRK as Pyongyang shuns diplomacy

The outcome of South Korea’s general election on Wednesday dealt a major blow to President Yoon Suk-yeol, with the opposition Democratic Party (DP) winning 176 seats and the People Power Party (PPP) 109 seats in the 300-member National Assembly.

But while the DP majority appears set to frustrate many of Yoon’s policy priorities, its election victory is unlikely to derail the conservative president’s more hardline approach to North Korea, or his efforts to bolster cooperation with the U.S. and Japan.

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