Exit polls from South Korea's parliamentary election on Wednesday indicated that President Park Geun-hye's conservative party would not regain its majority in the National Assembly. Such an outcome would jeopardize Park's plans to push ahead with controversial economic reforms, and would blow open next year's presidential race. Pollsters had predicted that the ruling Saenuri Party would crush a divided opposition for a decisive win and raise its expectations to take the presidency in 2017, after Park's single term expires. Exit polls by three national television networks unveiled after voting ended at 6 p.m. showed Saenuri managing 118 to 147 seats in the 300-seat assembly. The networks projected the main opposition Minjoo Party winning 97 to 128 seats, and the People's Party, a new party created mostly by those who defected from Minjoo, taking 31 to 43 seats. It remained to be seen whether the projections would prove to be accurate, as South Korean television networks have a spotty record of predicting election results with their exit polls. Official results were expected early Thursday. There has been disappointment among South Koreans over a sluggish economy, but it seems that criticism of Park's economic policies has taken a back seat to national security issues following North Korea's recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. — AP
