Opposition Bloc Could Cross 200 Seat Threshold-Exit Polls

Exit polls from the South Korean legislative election show that the oppostion may be able to cross the 200-seat threshold in the National Assembly. This would give the opposition significant powers in overriding presidential vetos and bringing impeachment proceedings against administration officials (including the president). This will be dependent on both the final results and the ability of opposition parties to work together.

• The KBS-MBC-SBS exit poll shows main opposition liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) winning between 178 and 196 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. The conservative People Power Party (PPP) supportive of President Yoon Suk-yeol is projected to win between 87-105 seats. The anti-Yoon Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP) of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk is on 12-14 seats.
• In the JTBC exit poll, the DPK and its allies are projected to win 168-193 seats, with the PPP and its allies on 87-111.
• If one party can secure 180 seats it allows them to overcome parliamentary filibusters, speeding up the passage of their legislative programmes.
• Regardless of whether the DPK crosses the 180 seat threshold, or if the DPK and RKP can jointly reach 200 seats, the election would seem to come as a clear repudiation of Yoon's presidency and leave the incumbent in a 'lame duck' position for the remaining three years of his term with little ability to pass domestic legislation.