SEOUL A mood of political expectation has taken hold in South Korea since the turn of the year. The outcome of a general election on April 13 will not only set the direction of President Park Geun-hye's economic and foreign policy, it will also greatly affect the next presidential contest, slated for late 2017, in which Park's successor will be chosen.
The National Assembly, South Korea's parliament, is a unicameral legislature with 300 members. Every four years, 246 members are elected to single-seat constituencies and 54 are chosen by proportional representation. Thus, races for single-seat constituencies carry far greater weight than those for proportional representation seats.
