Two major elections took place in South Korea this year with local elections on June fourth and the by-elections on July 30th.
The June fourth local elections failed to yield a clear winner. However, in the July by-elections, the ruling Saenuri Party won a sweeping victory, leading to a major shift in the nation’s political landscape.
In the June fourth local elections, the ruling party secured eight out of the 17 provincial governor and metropolitan mayoral positions up for grabs while the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) secured nine positions.
In the July 30th by-elections, the Saenuri Party won eleven out of 15 parliamentary seats, gaining an upper hand in the National Assembly.
The election results demonstrated that the NPAD had failed to secure the
public’s support even as the government’s poor handling of the Sewol ferry was
being harshly criticized by the media.
The biggest surprise of the by-elections came from Suncheon-Gokseong, in South Jeolla Province as the Saenuri Party beat the NPAD in the district regarded as a traditional NPAD stronghold.
In lieu of the poor election results, the NPAD’s co-chairmen, Kim Han-gil and Ahn Cheol-soo, announced their resignations to assume responsibility.The party has been led by an emergency leadership since then.

1. The Sinking of the Sewol Ferry & Special Sewol Law

2. Dissolution of Unified Progressive Party

3. June 4 Local Elections & July 30 By-elections

4. President Park Geun-hye’s Summit Diplomacy

5. UN General Assembly Passes New Resolution on N. Korea’s Human Rights, UN Security Council Places It on Its Agenda

6. S. Korea Expands “Economic Territory”

7. S. Korea Sees Trade Volume Surpass $1 Tln in Record Time

8. Shooting Rampage at GOP and Military Reform

9. Pope Francis Visits South Korea

10. Sochi Winter Olympics & The Incheon Asian Games