Chong Wa Dae Quiet After Election Reults Released

Previously all smiles at the closing of election polls, Chong Wa Dae, President Kim's official residence, was understandably silent as the actual ballot counts became known.

The final tally was in favor of the Grand National Party(GNP) and not President Kim Dae-jung's Millennium Democratic Party(MDP).

Chong Wa Dae officials seemed to be surprised by the outcome. Park Joon-yung, press secretary for Chong Wa Dae said after the closing of the polls that the voters of Metropolitan Seoul would support President Kim's work of the past year and they were "confident" with how the election would turn out. However, the GNP were out in front from the very beginning, and Park did not come out of his office for the rest of the evening.

Meanwhile President Kim watched the televised broadcasts until early this morning. According to a close acquaintance of the president who was with him at Chong Wa Dae, President Kim "watched TV in silence".

Chong Wa Dae seemed disconsolate about Kim Chung-kwon, the former secretary to President Kim. Kim Chung-kwon was seen to be the MDP's standard bearer for the Kyongsang areas which was traditionally GNP ridings. Kim lost the election by just 24 ballots to his rival Kim Kwang-won of the GNP. Inital polls taken before the election had assured a win for the former secretary but what is being seen as "overwhelming regionalism" is being blamed for his defeat. Also, a candidate running in the riding from the Democratical People's Party(DPP) saw his candidacy withdrawn due to his membership in two different parties. Some said this may have caused the opposition vote to converge on Kim Kwang-won.

Kim Chung-kwon later thanked the voters who supported him "despite the general regionalism aflicting the election."

by Kim Jin-kook