"There is no winner if war breaks out, hot or cold," (a South Korean voter, in Harden, 2010)
South Korean voters are said to have rejected the hostile campaign against the North Korean government during the local elections held this week, and supporting dialogue offered by the main opposition Democratic Party (Harden, 2010, & Yonhap News Agency, 2010). The rhetoric pitched by the ruling Grand National party seemed too high-strung and sent voters to opposition Democratic Party, which ran a successful campaign.
"Experience teaches South Koreans not to overreact" claimed a professor at the University of North Korean Studies Ryoo Kihl-jae, analysing "people here interpreted Lee's response to the Cheonan to be like a new Cold War... and that kind of thinking is seen as old-fashioned, as well as harmful to the economy and people's standard of living" (Harden, 2010)
Harden, B. (2010) South Korean Voters Opt for 'Reason over Confrontation' with the North. [Online]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/04/AR2010060404659.html and
page 2 of the same article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/04/AR2010060404659_2.html?sid=ST2010060404845 [05/06/2010]
Yonhap News Agency (2010) (LEAD) (News Focus) Election defeat casts gloom over Lee administration, ruling party. [Online]
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2010/06/03/30/0301000000AEN20100603001000315F.HTML [05/06/2010]
The Hankyoreh (2010) Military Leadership Adding to Cheonan Chaos with Contradictory Statements. [Online] http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/413450.html [05/06/2010]
