Voting in Plastic: South Korea
Photograph of a polling station in Seoul. Photo courtesy of Agence France-Presse.
On 15 April, South Korea held a national legislative election, amidst concerns over the spread of COVID-19 in the region. Despite the ongoing pandemic turnout hit a high of 66 per cent, the largest turnout in 18 years, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Many South Koreans expected for the vote to be delayed due to public health concerns. However, the government chose to push ahead with the election, while imposing strict safety measures at the polls and surrounding areas. South Korea has never delayed a national ballot, including the presidential election of 1952, which took place during the grips of the Korean War.
The ruling party of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the Democratic Party, a centre-left party, beat out their Conservative rivals, United Future Party, along with each of the parties' affiliates in the legislature. The Democratic Party gained an additional 57 seats in the national assembly, giving the President's party an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly.
The result will have a significant effect on the remaining two years of Mr Moon's tenure as president, as the opposition's ability to hamper legislation has effectively been neutered.
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Mr Moon's approval ratings were significantly slipping, and he was likely heading for a defeat this month. With the South Korean economy showing signs of distress and talks with North Korea faltering, United Future was more than likely to see a substantial victory.
However, Mr Moon's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have redeemed him in the eyes of many South Korean voters. The South Korean government has largely been able to manage the outbreak, making it an example for many other nations, according to the Brookings Institution.
The government instituted strict regulations at polling stations to maintain control during the crisis. In order to cast their ballot, South Koreans needed to clean their hands will sanitiser gel, wear a face mask, weak medical gloves, stand a minimum of three feet from other voters, and have their temperatures taken. Any voter with a temperature above 37.5C (99.5F) was diverted to a secluded voting booth, that was sanitised between uses.
Those who tested positive before the election were given specific instructions on exactly when and where to vote, allowing for poll workers to control infected citizens. Additionally, approximately 26 per cent of the population submitted their ballots via mail days before the official poll.
This election was also the first in which 18-year-olds were permitted to vote, a decision that almost certainly boosted overall turnout.
One result that made headlines was the victory of United Future candidate, and former North Korean diplomat, who defected to the South, Thae Yong-ho, who won a seat in Seoul's Gangnam district.
One of the most noticeable differences between the Democratic Party and United Future Party are their stances on engagement with North Korea. Democratic candidates generally favour a more conciliatory stance in regards to negotiations with North Korea, believing that diplomatic engagement is the best chance to create a sustainable future with their neighbour. United Future leaders have historically been seen as a more combative stance towards North Korea.
Policies over relations with North Korea became especially important when North Korea conducted a large missile test one day ahead of the election. The test was likely a strategic power move by the North Korean government to exert military influence over the region before the election, as reported by Bloomberg.
The Democratic Party's victory also further entrenches South Korea's ongoing trade conflict with Japan, over a legal dispute having to do with Japanese reparations for forced labour policies during the World War II occupation of Korea. Mr Moon's and Japanese Prime-Minister Abe Shinzō's inherent distrust of each other leaves little room for future cooperation, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Constitutional reforms and changes to the prosecutorial service, which is regarded as too powerful, have also become prominent issues over the last few years. Topics that Mr Moon is likely to tackle in the coming two years.
However, the election result also highlighted the deepening partisan and cultural divide within South Korea. United Future retained most of its seats in the Conservative strongholds in the southeast of the peninsula. Most of the Democratic wins came from the defeat of the People's Party, a progressive outfit the dissolved in 2018 and restructured this year without winning any seats, as reported by The Economist.
Mr Moon's government now has quite a bit of leeway to enact substantive legislation, until the 2022 presidential election, which Mr Moon is restricted from participating in, due to a one-term limit rule. In the age of COVID-19, many are unsure how much Mr Moon will be able to achieve, even with his majority. However, the next few months may be able to tell how effectively the government will be able to operate.
Sources:
'South Korea election: Ruling party wins amid coronavirus outbreak'. BBC News, British Broadcasting Corporation, 16 April 2020,
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52304781?intlink_from_url=&Ahn, Michael J
'Combating COVID-19: Lessons from South Korea'. Brookings, The Brookings Institution, 13 April 2020,
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2020/04/13/combating-covid-19-lessons-from-south-korea/
Lee, Jihye and Kang, Shinhye. 'North Korea Fires Missile Barrage Ahead of South Korea Election'. Bloomberg, Bloomberg L.P., 14 April 2020,
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-27/north-korea-s-silence-keeps-world-in-dark
Snyder, Scott A. 'Implications of South Korea’s Historic COVID-19 Elections'. CFR, Council on Foreign Relations, 17 April 2020,
https://www.cfr.org/blog/implications-south-koreas-historic-covid-19-elections
'A landslide for South Korea’s ruling party in parliamentary elections'. The Economist, The Economist Group, 16 April 2020