SEOUL (AFP) - – South Korea's opposition party Wednesday beat the ruling party in parliamentary by-elections which tested a recent rebound in the popularity of President Lee Myung-Bak's conservative government.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) took three of the five contested seats, including two in Suweon and Ansan around the capital. The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) took the other two seats.
The five seats were previously held by four GNP lawmakers and one from the DP. All were forced to quit after being convicted of election law violations.
The by-elections were seen as a vote of confidence in Lee's government, which is seeking public support for policies to shore up a nascent economic recovery.
Lee and his party won crushing victories in the 2007 presidential poll and the 2008 general election.
But his popularity waned in summer 2008 amid mass street protests over a decision to resume US beef imports, and the onset of the global economic crisis.
In April his party suffered a crushing defeat in by-elections, losing all five parliamentary seats up for grabs at that time to independent or opposition candidates.
The economy is now showing strong signs of recovery thanks partly to government stimulus measures and aggressive interest rate cuts.
The central bank Monday reported 2.9 percent growth in the third quarter compared with April-June, the biggest quarter-on-quarter growth for over seven years.
One opinion poll released on October 12 showed Lee's approval rating at 54 percent compared with less than 20 percent at the height of the beef controversy.
The by-elections will not sway the balance of power. With two additional seats, the GNP now controls 169 seats in the 299-seat parliament, while the DP has 86.
Analysts said Lee needed victory, especially in the area around the capital, to push ahead with his free-market reforms.
"The outcome of today's elections, however, will not seriously affect Lee's popularity, which runs high due to economic recovery," Sungkyunkwan University politics professor Kim Il-Young told AFP.
The GNP had called on voters to support it to secure stable administrative management.
"The election is a fight against unilateralism and for checks and balance," DP leader Chung Sye-Kyun said in a statement.