S. Korea launches largest-ever parliamentary by-elections

SEOUL - South Korean voters went to the polls for the country's largest-ever parliamentary by-elections, where 15 seats are up for grabs, the election management agency said Wednesday.

As of 1 p.m. local time, voter turnout was 22.2 percent in 15 electoral districts nationwide, according to the National Election Commission (NEC). The voting, which started from 6 a.m., will continue until 8 p.m. local time.

It included the early voting turnout of 7.98 percent, the highest for parliamentary by-elections. The early voting was conducted for two days from July 25.

The by-election was seen here as a mid-term referendum on President Park Geun-hye's administration, which was reeling from the deadly ferry disaster. The government was criticized for botched response to the country's worst maritime disaster in decades, contributing to rising death tolls.

The ferry Sewol capsized and sank off the southwestern coast on April 16, claiming lives of 304 people, the vast majority of high school students.

The body of Yoo Byung-eun, who controlled the sunken ferry operator Chonghaejin Marine, was found, but the cause of death was not determined as police viewed it first as the body of a homeless person.

The belated autopsy and DNA testing came after the body was badly decomposed, causing another criticism for police, prosecutors and the government.

The by-elections were not expected to bring a clear-cut result as both ruling and main opposition parties claimed a clear lead in only three constituencies each. The remaining nine districts were expected to be neck-and-neck.

The ruling Saenuri Party is now holding 147 out of the 285 seats in the 300-member parliament. If the party wins more than four seats among 15 seats, it will have an absolute majority and lead political situation.

The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) asked voters to cast ballots for its candidates to judge the Park administration that failed to respond properly to the ferry disaster.

The rival parties failed to win a clear-cut victory in the recent June 6 local elections, where around 4,000 officials were elected. The ruling party won eight of the 17 mayoral and gubernatorial seats, with the remaining nine seats going to the main opposition party.