South Korea's Uri party ended 40 years of conservative dominance, by taking 152 seats in Parliament.
AP has this to say:
The election completes a momentous shift in South Korean politics, where conservative-dominated legislatures have checked its few progressive presidents, including President Roh Moo-hyun.
It's also good news for South Korea's currently impeached President, who was taken out in a very unseemly way by the party that has just lost power:
Thursday's win for Uri, which backs Roh, could strengthen his hand as the Constitutional Court decides whether to uphold his March 12 impeachment on charges of incompetence and illegal electioneering.
Of course, you might say that this is just desserts for the Grand National Party, which traces its lineage to a military dictatorship, but there are implications for the US as well:
Prime Minister Goh Kun - acting president the court decides Roh's fate - pledged economic and political stability Friday morning in response to the election results.
He urged parties to end their "politics of confrontation and conflict" and said it was time for the nation to focus on economic recovery. Without referring directly to South Korea's planned troop dispatch to Iraq, Goh also pledged that the government would stand by earlier promises.
However, the Democratic Labor Party, which won unprecedented seats in the elections, pledged Friday to submit a bill that would cancel South Korea's planned dispatch of 3,600 troops to Iraq.
The party, backed largely by labor unions that have been the most vociferous critics of plans to send the troops, won 10 seats, becoming the No. 3 parliamentary group. It has none in the outgoing parliament.
On the heels of the Spanish results, this is a cause for optimism indeed.
Another cause for optimism is the fact that even 3rd graders are questioning Cheney's military record, in this case, pressing Lynne Cheney over particulars of her husband's service (non-existent) during her tour of American forces in South Korea. I must point out, the questions came from both South Korean and American children, but still, it makes for a gleeful headline. Details.