SEOUL, Heated last-minute electioneering unfolded on the eve of the parliamentary elections Tuesday, with the ruling party denouncing the scandal-ridden opposition as "shameless" and the main opposition party slamming the government for mismanaging the economy and other state affairs. Wednesday's general elections are to pick 300 new members of the National Assembly, with 254 of them to be selected through direct elections and the remaining 46 proportional representation seats to be allocated to parties according to the number of votes they receive overall. Wrapping up the 13-day campaigning, ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon said the official 12-hour period open for voting will be the critical hours that will decide the fate of the country, appealing to voters to make a choice that will allow the PPP to do its job. "We, our people, have 12 hours left to save the fate of our country from collapsing," Han said during the final campaigning at the Cheonggye Stream in downtown Seoul. "I hop e we will not regret in the future that we let our country go to ruin because we didn't vote. I hope that we can proudly say that we saved our country on April 10th," Han said. Han canceled his remaining campaigning schedule for the night, after he showed symptoms of dehydration and exhaustion, the PPP said in a message to reporters. Earlier in the day, Han went on a campaign rally in key battlegrounds in Seoul, intensifying criticism of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung and Cho Kuk, a former justice minister who formed a minor party, both facing criminal trials for various charges. "I heard Chairman Lee shed tears in front of a court," Han said, suggesting Lee's tears were not a display of remorse for his actions but a disingenuous attempt to save himself. Han concluded his campaigning by joining other party members in central Seoul, alongside American Korean medical doctor Ihn Yohan, who previously served as the PPP innovation committee chief. The quadrennial race holds added importance for the PPP, as a failure to regain a majority could potentially render President Yoon Suk Yeol a lame duck for the remaining three years of his single five-year term, ending in 2027. Recent predictions have shown that the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) is likely to win a parliamentary majority, with some even suggesting that the party could win more than 200 seats, a two-thirds threshold that gives the party enough power to override presidential vetoes and even impeach the president. Despite some pessimistic observations, the PPP rolled out its own last-minute forecast, highlighting certain districts that have emerged as the so-called golden cross. The term denotes an overturn in approval ratings. "Such (golden cross) areas are quite prevalent," said Hong Seok-jun, a PPP official, during a radio interview, also mentioning Seoul's Dongjak-B constituency where the approval rating of high-profile lawmaker Na Kyung-won is gaining momentum. The PPP further asserts that highly competitive constituencies have increased fr om 55 to 60, reportedly anticipating securing between 110 and 120 seats. Observers view the 48 constituencies in Seoul as the primary battlegrounds that will ultimately determine the election outcome. Data suggests that the results in Seoul often mirror the overall election results. The DP urged voters to deliver a stern judgment on what it calls the "incompetent" Yoon administration, accusing it of significantly worsening the economy and people's livelihoods and mishandling a series of controversial issues over the past two years. Since its inauguration in May 2022, the Yoon administration has faced various obstacles in advancing its agenda, such as on tax and labor reform bills, in the DP-controlled parliament. DP leader Lee chose Yongsan in central Seoul as the last place for the campaigning, criticizing Yoon and his government for mismanaging the country. Yongsan is also where the presidential office is located. "If the people are suffering from this administration's failure in state affairs and we s ee no signs of improvement, it is time for us to be clear about whether to reward or punish them," he said. Lee arrived in Yongsan after attending a court hearing on corruption charges related to two development projects in Seongnam, south of Seoul, launched during his term as the city's mayor. Lee claimed that the Yoon government has caused regression in all aspects of the country, including the economy, livelihoods, diplomacy, national security and democracy. "Unable to curb prices as it is supposed to, the Yoon Suk Yeol government is only attempting to strike down political enemies and opposition forces," Lee said. Meanwhile, the DP anticipated a relatively comfortable victory in securing a parliamentary majority, while cautiously dismissing the theory of attaining 200 seats together with Cho's Rebuilding Korea Party. "We are aiming to secure 151 seats," said Rep. Han Byung-do of the DP during a radio interview, highlighting that recent data indicates positive signs for the party. Earlier, Lee visite d Incheon, west of Seoul, where he is running for a seat in the Gyeyang constituency. The Gyeonggi and Incheon regions, which together have some 75 seats at stake, are considered a stronghold for the DP. Source: Yonhap News Agency