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.

DPRK issues barely featured in the recent election despite the ongoing diplomatic stalemate and worsening security situation on the peninsula,