Warship sinking overshadows South Korean elections

The deadly sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on North Korea overshadowed local elections today – seen as a gauge of public sentiment toward the pro-American president’s handling of the security crisis.

Outrage over the sinking, which killed 46 sailors, bolstered support for President Lee Myung-bak’s ruling conservative Grand National Party ahead of the vote that will fill 3,991 positions – including key mayoral jobs that often serve as springboards for future national leaders, polls and analysts said.

Voters cast ballots at 13,388 polling stations for the races that include about 9,900 candidates nationwide. Late afternoon voter turnout was 43.2% of the country’s 38.8 million eligible voters, the nation’s election watchdog said.

Before the ship sank two months ago, Mr Lee struggled with growing controversy over massive infrastructure projects. Fierce infighting threatened to split his party in two.

But the March 26 downing of the warship has dominated headlines for weeks and has overshadowed other pressing issues. Security jitters about North Korea deepened after a multi-national investigation concluded a torpedo fired by a North Korean submarine tore apart and sank the 1,200-tonne Cheonan warship.

The US and South Korea have decided to hold a massive anti-submarine exercise in the Yellow Sea early next week as part of their punitive measures on the North, the Yonhap news agency said today, citing an unidentified South Korean military official.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party has accused the government of exploiting the sinking for the elections, arguing Mr Lee should have announced the investigation results after the polls.