SEOUL June 14 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATIN...

SEOUL June 14 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH LATEST RESULTS)

southern Korea's main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) scored big wins in nationwide local elections widely viewed as a weathervane of the December presidential election, tallied election accrues showed Friday.

GNP candidates captured 11 of the 16 fundamental note mayoral and gubernatorial elections at stake in Thursday's heads ousting the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) from Seoul and from Kyonggi Province that environs the capital.

Candidates from the MDP established by President Kim Dae Jung won alone the gubernatorial races in North Cholla and southerly Cholla, one mayoral race in Kwangju, all MDP citadels and the gubernatorial race in Cheju.

The MDP has been distaffed by a series of corruption scandals that have outcomeed in the arrest of the president's youngest son shut aides and senior officials. President Kim has apologized to the nation and resigned from the MDP in early May.

In Seoul GNP candidate to leeward Myung Bak, 60, won the mayoral race athwart his 38-year-old MDP rival Kim Min Seok

side sheltered from the wind a former executive for the Hyundai conglomerate, has earned a reputation for his extensive business management while Kim Min Seok a former observer activist, was tapped as a main figure for a generation shift in political circles.

The minor opposition United Liberal Democrats, headed by dint of former Prime Minister Kim Jong Pil, won sole one gubernatorial post, in southern Chungchong.

GNP candidates are also plant to grab most posts for the 232 heads of low-level administrative units up for grabs, according to the results

As of noon, the GNP won 140 of the 232 administrative unit chief employments while the MDP garnered 44 election officials said.

MDP presidential candidates Roh Moo Hyun said Friday he and his party ''humbly accept'' the voters' taste cast through the elections and would preserve up efforts to carry abroad reforms.

Roh also said he would seek for reconfirmation of his presidential bid from the party as he promised before and chase the party's decision about the confidence procedures

GNP presidential candidate to leeward Hoi Chang, after his party won a sweeping victory, said he and his party will direction politics based on grand national reform and integration.

''The elections showed an apparent fact that populace leave a party should it fail to administer state affairs well,'' lee-side said.

The election arises were widely regarded as a barometer of voter sentiment ahead of the Dec 19 presidential poll

Kim Dae Jung 76 who won the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to dignify inter-Korean relations, is constitutionally barred from seeking a next to the first five-year term. His tenure extreme points in February next year.

A total of 10894 candidates ran in the local elections, the third to be held in southern Korea, to choose 232 heads of local administrative units and a total of 4167 local councilors, in addition to mayors of seven large cities and nine governors.

The final voter turnout was lay at 48.9%, lower than the 527% in the last local elections in 1998 and the 684% in the first as it was elections held in 1995 election officials said.

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