In the first national elections during the pandemic, Moon’s camp is expected to win an absolute majority. His government’s response to the disease was crucial. There are problems in other areas.
In the South Korean general election on Wednesday, President Moon Jae In strengthened his power in the middle of his term. According to post-election surveys, Moon’s left-wing Democratic Party and their small partner, the Joint Party of Togetherness, conquer between 155 and 178 of the 300 seats.
This means that Moon no longer has to organize majorities in parliament and can implement his ideas with fewer compromises. The conservative camp around the United Future Party, which had a good chance of winning an election before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, is expected to only get 107 to 130 seats.
High turnout
Moon’s success in the world’s first national election since the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis is based on high voter turnout: According to the election commission’s preliminary information, 66.2 percent of Koreans used their voting rights, more than in 28 years.
However, Moon’s victory also has a global political message, says Korean expert Kim Du Yeon: “The victory shows other leaders in the world that their response to the crisis will determine their political fate,” said the International Crisis Group consultant. Because the pandemic covered all the other issues that normally decide elections.
At the beginning of the crisis, a strong outbreak of the corona virus in the metropolis of Daegu Moon still cost popularity. However, with a massive test program, modern data analysis and social distancing, the health authorities managed to contain the epidemic quickly without curfews and other draconian measures.
Global praise inspires Moon
Even more important for Moon’s growing reputation were international praise and the completely different approach of Europe and the United States against the pandemic, where hundreds of thousands were infected and tens of thousands died. Even President Donald Trump called on Moon to help fight the epidemic.
Japanese epidemiologist Kenji Shibuya, who teaches at King’s College in London and advises the WHO general secretary on the pandemic, even sees Korea’s crisis protocol as the future of infection control. “”South Korea uses a modern approach that detects infected people with mass tests, smartphone apps and the evaluation of data, and uses data-driven analyzes to investigate how Covid-19 is transmitted,” he said in an interview.
The result: fewer than 30 new infections were identified in South Korea this week for the third time in a row. The government therefore wants to relax the previous measures. The implementation of the election was a milestone on the way to a new everyday life, which is however still dictated by the virus.
This was also demonstrated by the protective measures taken during the elections. Voters were asked to stand in line at polling stations more than a meter away. Everyone was wearing masks and had to disinfect their hands. In addition, the body temperature was measured at the entrance without exception. Before they could receive the ballot paper and cast their vote, the citizens had to put on disposable gloves.
The economic crisis and North Korea threaten Moon’s popularity
There is little time to celebrate for Moon. Because he is already in the middle of a new test in an area in which he has so far been unable to shine: economic policy. The economy weakened even before the corona crisis. Moon has failed to reduce youth unemployment and alleviate small business concerns. South Korea’s economy is now in danger of shrinking due to the looming global recession.
In addition, North Korea threatens to develop into a hotspot again after two years of relative silence. Moon had won international stature as a peacemaker as a successful mediator between Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. However, following the collapse of the negotiation of North Korea’s nuclear program, Pyongyang is currently testing record-breaking missiles despite UN sanctions.
