The main opposition Democratic Party scored a major win against the ruling Grand National Party in the Seoul mayoral by-election, but it came at a price. The liberal party lent its full support to Park Won-soon, an independent candidate backed by civil groups, in order to take Seoul from the control of the conservative GNP. Members of the main opposition Democratic Party rejoice at independent ...

Opposition-backed candidate Park Won-soon won a resounding victory in Wednesday’s Seoul mayor by-election, seen as a crucial test of voter sentiment ahead of next year’s general and presidential elections. His Grand National Party rival Na Kyung-won conceded defeat as the vote count stacked up in Park’s favor. Independent candidate Park Won-soon celebrates at his campaign office in central Seou...

Although it was early in the morning with the mercury dipping to 3 degrees Celsius, the lowest this fall, voters in Seoul cast their ballots in the hopes that the new mayor would enhance their welfare. Jung Young-seok of the ruling Grand National Party smiles at his office in Busan after winning a by-election in Dong-gu, Busan, Wednesday. (Yonhap News) Featuring an unprecedented contest between...

Seoul voter turnout 48.6 percent Celebration and disappointment were seen in the liberal and ruling camps, respectively, as Seoul mayoral by-election exit polls favored Park Won-soon. In the exit poll jointly conducted by public broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS, Park got 54.4 percent of respondents’ votes, outrunning the Grand National Party’s Na Kyung-won by 9.2 percentage points. (Yonhap News) ...

In terms of campaigning, the race for Seoul mayor was characterized by how relatively unflashy it was, focusing instead on volunteering and directly communicating with citizens. The most conspicuous change from past races was the relative lack of loudspeakers, which were typical of street campaigning in the past. The two candidates decided they should listen more and speak less to win the publi...

Although it was early in the morning with the mercury dipping to 3 degrees Celsius, the lowest this fall, voters in Seoul cast their ballots in the hopes that the new mayor would enhance their welfare. Featuring an unprecedented contest between a ruling party standard-bearer and a civil society leader, the by-election drew keen attention as its outcome was expected to be a crucial gauge of publi...

Independent candidate for Seoul mayor Park Won-soon and his wife cast their votes at a polling station in southern Seoul. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) GNP hopefuls’ push for Blue House candidacy may sap Lee’s power The by-elections on Wednesday cleared the runways for presidential aspirants to make their sorties for the big race next year, pushing President Lee Myung-bak deeper into his lam...

Polls opened Wednesday for the Seoul mayoral vote and other local by-elections seen as a significant test for the rival parties and presidential hopefuls before South Korea elects a new parliament and a new president next year. At stake are the Seoul mayoralty and 11 other posts in smaller local municipalities and legislatures. The elections involve no seats in the National Assembly, where the r...

Assembly committee to begin deliberation on U.S. free trade deal President Lee Myung-bak plans to send a letter to parliamentarians urging them to swiftly ratify a pending free trade agreement with the United States, officials at the presidential office said Tuesday. In the letter to be sent to all 295 members of the National Assembly, Lee will appeal to opposition lawmakers that the ratificati...