대한민국, '정부 견제' 보다 '국정 안정' 택했다

At an unprecedented election held at the height of a global pandemic.
Perhaps in part to the government's solid response to the COVID-19 outbreak,... the South Korean public came out in droves to cast their votes for the ruling Democratic Party.
While counting is still taking place, .. the party is set for a landslide victory,... grabbing a solid outright majority of nearly 180 seats in the 300-seat National Assembly.
The opposition bloc had a night to forget and will have to go back to the drawing board to figure out what went wrong.
Kim Hyo-sun reports.
South Korea's ruling Democratic Party clinched a landslide victory in Wednesday's general election.
The coronavirus pandemic did not stop South Koreans flooding to polling stations,... as the nation saw one of its highest turnouts for a general election.
Stabilizing state affairs versus checks and balances was the major issue for this year's general election,... which is held every four years.
"We desperately need to stabilize state affairs. Further confusion will be disastrous in the face of a national crisis."
"Garnering 180 seats will lead to hopelessness, especially at a time of state failure."
The wider liberal bloc,... including the Democratic Party and its satellite Civil Together Party, is on track to secure nearly 180 National Assembly seats.
The 180 mark,... three-fifths of the total seats,... is crucial as the ruling party will be able to pass most bills by putting them on a parliamentary fast track even if the opposition parties object.
The main opposition United Future Party and its satellite Future Korea Party are expected to take a little over 1-hundred seats.
Despite President Moon Jae-in's public approval falling to the 30 percent level last year amid the prolonged economic slowdown and a political scandal involving former Justice Minister Cho Kuk,... the public apparently support the Moon administration's efforts to overcome the COVID-19 outbreak.
The failure for the main opposition party to rise as a viable alternative could have also been a factor.
"There were many hiccups on the way, including the candidates' controversial remarks. This could have led the public to think that they have to put the opposition party put to the test."
With the country traditionally working under a two-party political system,... the minor parties failed to clinch more seats through the new mixed-member proportional representation scheme.
This came as the two large parties created so-called satellite parties to snap up those seats.
With Wednesday's landslide victory,... the Democratic Party has claimed victory in the last four elections in South Korea.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.