Opposition GNP wins 2 by-elections in S. Korea

Asian Economic News, June 7, 1999

SEOUL, June 4 Kyodo

South Korea's opposition Grand National Party (GNP) won two by-elections held Thursday, with a landslide victory by its president, Lee Hoi Chang, over a candidate from the ruling coalition partner United Liberal Democrats (ULD), according to election results released Friday.

In the Songpa-Kap district in Seoul, Lee won 61.5% of the votes, while a candidate from the ULD, a coalition partner of the ruling National Congress for New Politics (NCNP), won 37.0%.

In the Kyeyang-Kanghwa district in Inchon, west of Seoul, a GNP candidate won 54.9%, beating out a NCNP candidate who got 41.8%.

With the election results, the opposition party increased its parliamentary seats to 136. The NCNP has 105 and the ULD has 54 seats in the 299-member unicameral legislature. There are four independents.

With the victory in Thursday's by-election, the GNP leader Lee returned to the National Assembly about 19 months after he gave up his seat to run in the 1997 presidential election.

section of the home stretch before tiring to give way to Narita Top Road.

Take then savored sweet revenge as Admire Vega, who failed to live up to his top-favorite status in the Satsuki-sho in mid-April with Take in the saddle, surged past archrival T.M. Opera O and Narita Top Road in a last-gasp sprint.

The triumph in the 66th running of the Japan Derby earned Admire Vega 132 million yen.

Admire Vega paid 390 yen to win on a 100 yen bet. The post quinella of 2-11 earned 820 yen, while the bracket quinella of 1-6 was worth 610 yen.