RULING PARTY ACCEPTS DEFEAT

[Anchor Lead]

The People Power Party expressed joy over its victory in the by-elections, but said it feels enormous responsibility. The Democratic Party was shocked by the defeat but has accepted the outcome. We bring you details of yesterdays by-elections.

[Pkg]

When the outcome was clear enough, Seoul mayor-elect Oh Se-hoon visited his party's headquarters again. He expressed gratitude to voters and said he felt a heavy sense of responsibility.

[Soundbite] Oh Se-hoon(Seoul Mayor-elect) : "I accept my victory as a supreme order to carry out the city's pending tasks as soon as possible and take good care of Seoul residents. I will work with passion."

Oh vowed to have the victim of his predecessor's sexual abuse return to her post, and expressed gratitude to People's Party chief Ahn Cheol-soo for his support. The People Power Party's emergency committee chief Kim Chong-in says the outcome of the by-elections is a victory for common sense. He vowed to lay a foundation for winning next year's presidential election. Busan mayor-elect Park Hyung-joon pledged to serve his city's residents and design his policies in line with their needs.

[Soundbite] Park Heong-joon(Busan Mayor-elect) : "I will keep in mind that complacency and arrogance can result in public outrage at any time."

The DP's Seoul mayor candidate, Park Young-sun, also visited her party's headquarters when the result seemed clear. She thanked her supporters and conceded defeat.

[Soundbite] Park Young-sun(Democratic Party Seoul mayor candidate) : "I believe I must humbly accept the reprimand of Seoul residents."

The ruling bloc's Kim Young-choon also accepted the outcome of the election.

[Soundbite] Kim Young-choon(Democratic Party Busan mayor candidate) : "I humbly accept the outcome. The Democratic Party and I will never give up on Busan's dreams."

Democratic Party's acting chief Kim Tae-nyeon apologized to supporters for causing disappointment and pledged to work harder to achieve better results in the future. The DP's leadership convened an emergency meeting Wednesday night, to discuss follow-up measures including the resignation of the party's top officials.