A total of 42.1 billion won ($37.1 million) of campaign subsidies was provided Tuesday to political parties with candidates for the 19th presidential election in South Korea, according to the National Election Commission.
The amount given corresponded to the proportion of parliamentary seats held by each party and the number of votes each party had gained at the general election.
The liberal Democratic Party of Korea received the highest amount, at 12.3 billion won. It has 119 of the current 292 seats in the National Assembly.
The conservative Liberty Korea Party, with 93 seats, was given 11.9 billion won, followed by the centrist People’s Party at 8.6 billion won, the conservative Bareun Party at 6.3 billion won and the progressive Justice Party at 2.7 billion won. The newly formed Saenuri Party, with just one lawmaker at the National Assembly, was given 32 million won.
South Korea is to elect its new president on May 9 from a crowded field of 15 candidates.
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