The South Korean opposition is about to triumph in the parliamentary elections. Exit polls show that opposition parties are winning more parliamentary seats, a major blow to President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Lee Jae-moon's Democratic Party (DP) - which has survived a January stabbing and countless scandals - and its allies are expected to win between 184 and 197 seats, compared with 156 seats in the previous parliament.
Yun's People's Power Party (PPP) and its satellite party are expected to secure 85 to 99 seats, down from 114, according to exit polls conducted by three major television companies.
It is possible that all the opposition parties together have secured a supermajority of 200 votes in the 300-seat parliament, which would theoretically allow them to try to oust Yun from office.
This includes the new Restoring Korea Party, led by former Justice Minister Cho Kook, who has been accused of corruption. She expects to win 12-14 seats.
"The people have won, the will to prosecute Yoon Suk Yeol is very clear," Cho said after the vote, local media reported.
Yoon defeated Lee in South Korea's most contested presidential election to date in 2022 and has taken a tough stance on North Korea while improving ties with Washington and former colonial occupier Japan.
But Li, while fending off multiple bribery probes he said were politically motivated, secured revenge with the election result after a bruising and polarizing campaign.
"I will observe the people's election with a humble heart," Li said after the vote.
Since the start of his presidency, Yun has been unpopular, with his approval rating in the low 30s, and his lack of control over the National Assembly hampering his socially conservative legislative agenda.
This includes planned health reforms, which have been backed by voters but have sparked a crippling strike by doctors, and a pledge to scrap the gender equality ministry.
PNP leader Han Donghun said that "the exit polls are disappointing... We will monitor the vote count," Yonhap news agency reported.
Demographic factor
On Yun's side were demographic changes, as voters aged 60 and over now outnumber those in their 20s and 30s in the country with the world's lowest birth rate.
"Voters over 60 represent a huge and staunchly conservative base for Yun," Sharon Yun, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Notre Dame, told AFP.
Younger Koreans are repulsed by politics from a political class dominated by older men who ignore their problems.
The younger generation is also experiencing economic difficulties related to fierce competition in education, fewer job opportunities and high housing prices.
"Definitely the interest in this election among people around me is less than last time. I think it's because they feel quite disappointed," business owner Kim Yong-ho, 24, explained at a polling station in Seoul's Gwangjin district. .
The tone of the campaign also turned off many voters, lacking substantive debate, instead featuring caustic calls to "jail" Lee or "punish" Yun.
"I am really ashamed of our country's politics and government," Kim Do-kyun, 47, an activist for the protection of migrant women and their children, told AFP.
It has been accompanied by hate speech and misinformation on the Internet that experts worry could lead to more attacks like the one on Lee in January and another one weeks later.
DP favors a more modest hawkish approach to Pyongyang, and Lee has made a number of pro-China statements. In one fake video, he bows before a statue of Mao Zedong.
Lee also took advantage of Yoon's gaffe last month about the "reasonable" price of scallions, a staple of Korean cuisine whose price has soared.
The humble vegetable has become a popular prop at DP rallies, and the election commission has even banned voters from carrying it to polling stations.
Pastor Jeremiah Shim, 40, said the people of his congregation are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with life because of rising food prices.
"I support Lee. His story and life path are very impressive. Many people think he can change our future," Shim said at a DP rally.
The first official results are expected later today. /BGNES
