SEOUL - South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party and its affiliated party are likely to win Wednesday's general election in a landslide and maintain a majority in the parliament, according to exit poll results.
The DP's projected victory and the probable loss by the minority ruling party would deal a major blow to the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who still has three more years remaining in his five-year term.
The exit polls conducted by three television networks including public broadcaster KBS showed the DP and its ally are expected to secure at least 178 of the 300 seats in the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, the ruling People Power Party and its affiliated party are set to win up to 105 seats in the unicameral legislature, down from 114 seats they held before the election.
Han Dong Hoon, leader of the ruling party, said, "The PPP did its best to implement policies in line with the will of the people. But the exit poll results seem disappointing."
The DP's leader Lee Jae Myung said he will "humbly" watch people's choices until the final results are in.
Among other parties, Korea Innovation Party founded by former justice minister Cho Kuk was expected to win at least 12 seats in the 46 proportional representation slots, according to the exit polls.
The party, which pledged to reform the prosecutor's office and oust Yoon as president, fielded candidates only for the proportional representation slots.
The National Election Commission said the tentative voter turnout in Wednesday's election was 67 percent, the highest in 32 years for a general election.
The forecasted defeat of the PPP will accelerate the lame-duck status of Yoon's administration, which has encountered obstacles in advancing legislation since he took office in May 2022.
If the opposition parties secure 200 seats, a two-thirds majority, they would be able to initiate processes such as constitutional amendments, presidential impeachments and enactment of bills vetoed by a president.
The opposition bloc has asked voters to judge Yoon's government, accusing the president of failing to improve the economy and address the country's sinking birth rate as well as to cope with his wife's scandals.
While Yoon has strengthened security alliances with the United States and Japan to counter North Korea's missile threat, foreign policy has not become a major election issue.
In the previous general election in 2020, the DP, then the ruling party, won a landslide victory as voters supported the way that the government of then President Moon Jae In handled the coronavirus outbreak.
Preliminary results of Wednesday's election are expected to be released in the early hours of Thursday.
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