South Korean elections: The Prime Minister offers to resign after his defeat in the elections

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's prime minister and senior presidential officials offered to resign en masse Thursday, after their conservative ruling party suffered a crushing defeat in the presidential election. Parliamentary elections.

Wednesday's election results dealt a major political blow to President Yeon Suk-yeol, likely setting back his domestic agenda and leaving him facing increasing escalation. Political attack By his liberal opponents during his remaining three years in office.

Prime Minister Han Dak-soo and all of Yoon's senior presidential advisers, except those responsible for security issues, have tendered their resignations, according to Yoon's office. It was not immediately stated whether Yoon had accepted their resignations.

Executive power in South Korea is largely concentrated in the hands of the president, but the prime minister is second in command and leads the country if the president becomes incapacitated.

Yoon said he would “humbly support” the public sentiment reflected in the election result and focus on improving the people's economic conditions and reforming state affairs, according to his office.

In a separate press conference, ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun said he would also step down to take responsibility for the election defeat.

With most votes counted, the main opposition Democratic Party and its affiliate appear to have won a total of 175 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. Another small liberal opposition party is expected to win 12 seats under the proportional representation system, according to South Korean media statistics.

Yoon's ruling People Power Party and its affiliated party are expected to win 109 seats.

The final official results are expected to appear later on Thursday.

But the result means that liberal opposition forces will expand their control of parliament, although they will likely not obtain the 200-seat supermajority that would give them the power to override vetoes and even remove the president.

Wednesday's election is widely seen as a midterm vote of confidence in Yoon, a former prosecutor who takes office in 2022 for a single five-year term.

He has made unremitting efforts to enhance cooperation with the United States and Japan as a way to address a combination of difficult security and economic challenges. But Yoon was plagued by low approval ratings at home and a parliament controlled by the liberal opposition that limited his main political platforms.