The Korea Times
Cho Kuk, leader of the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP), failed in his bid to return to parliament in the by-election held alongside Wednesday's local elections, dealing a heavy blow to his political career. According to the National Election Commission Thursday, main opposition People Power Party (PPP) candidate Yoo Ui-dong won the by-election for the Pyeongtaek-B constituency in Gyeonggi Province with 34.83 percent of the vote. Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate Kim Yong-nam came in second with 28.77 percent, while Cho came third with 27.24 percent. Cho conceded defeat at his campaign office around 3 a.m. after Yoo's victory became certain. "The top priority of this election was to realize a 'zero PPP' outcome. While meaningful progress was made nationwide, we failed to fulfill that mandate in Pyeongtaek. The responsibility lies entirely with me," Cho told reporters. The defeat marked a setback in Cho's attempt to revive his political career after a jail term over a corruption scandal cost him his parliamentary seat in December 2024. Political analysts said Cho's
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