'Corona General Election' Numbers 123, 152, 180 That Will Decide President Moon's Fate

Praise for COVID-19 Response, Foreign Media Also Interested in Korean General Election... Ruling Coalition's Election Results to Influence President Moon's 4th Year in Office

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] The 21st general election has become a subject of domestic and international interest because it is a nationwide election held while major countries have chosen social lockdowns due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) issue. It symbolizes that a normal social system is functioning.

President Moon Jae-in said at the Blue House senior secretaries and aides meeting held on the 13th, "The election we are holding now is also a major concern of the international community," for this reason.

What is noteworthy is that President Moon's non-political messages can also be understood in a political context. Political experts generally agree that this general election is essentially a 'COVID-19 election.' As positive evaluations of Korea's COVID-19 response emerge mainly from foreign media, not only the president's approval rating but also the ruling party's support rate are gaining strength.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the situation where a 'total election silence order' has been issued at the Blue House, it is also worth noting that President Moon and key aides participated in early voting on the 10th. President Moon evaluated, "I cannot help but express my respect for the collective intelligence of the people who dispersed the quarantine burden caused by the election by recording the highest-ever early voting rate."

From President Moon's perspective, the political environment before and after the 'April 15 general election' must inevitably be different. The symbolic numbers of ruling coalition seats that will determine fate are '123,' '152,' and '180.' First, 123 is the number that gave the Democratic Party of Korea the status of the largest party in the National Assembly in the 20th general election in 2016. However, if the ruling party obtains 123 seats including proportional representation in the 21st general election, it will be difficult to avoid election defeat and loss of national governance momentum. Considering the nature of this general election, which is a one-on-one contest with the United Future Party, securing 123 seats by the ruling party symbolizes a minority ruling party in the National Assembly.

152 is the number symbolizing the largest number of seats ever held by Democratic Party-affiliated parties. In the 17th general election in 2004, the Uri Party won 152 seats to become the largest party in the National Assembly. If the Democratic Party surpasses 152 seats including proportional representation, it will break the historical record.

180 is the number of seats that allows the National Assembly to operate without restrictions from the National Assembly Advancement Act, leading to a 'political tectonic shift.' If the combined seats of progressive parties such as the Democratic Party, the Together Citizens' Party, the Open Democratic Party, the Justice Party, and the Minsheng Party reach 180, they will gain the power to handle the reform tasks of the Moon Jae-in government that had previously stalled.

The Blue House is closely monitoring the post-election situation in a calm atmosphere. It is also not impossible that a message from President Moon to the public will be issued after the general election. This is because the public sentiment confirmed in the general election is a key variable that will influence President Moon's political plan in his fourth year in office.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.