Sometimes, you merely lose elections — and, sometimes, you get absolutely trounced. 

The ruling Democratic Minjoo Party’s resounding defeat in this week’s South Korean by-elections was not unexpected: Two of the most prominent figures from the party were recently accused of sexual misconduct.

Amid those scandals, there are soaring real estate prices, corruption and a sluggish COVID-19 vaccination effort. It is no surprise that the ruling party has entered rough waters.

But regardless, the sheer magnitude of the trouncing was noteworthy. Park Young-sun’s 18-point reversal against conservative winner Oh Se-hoon was