ARIRANG NEWS 14:00 Korea's ruling party looks ahead after local elections

The dust from last week's local elections has settled,... but there's no time to rest for the nation's ruling Saenuri Party. Over the coming weeks,... they will select a new party leader and prepare for by-elections in July. With the local elections ending in a virtual draw,... next month's elections have taken on greater significance. Our correspondent Ji Myung-kil tells us more. With the campaigning over and the races decided,... the ruling Saenuri Party now faces a slew of challenges ahead. The ruling party plans to establish a new committee to reform the government's overall management system in the wake of April's ferry disaster. "We expect a new prime minister and new Cabinet members. To coincide with President Park Geun-hye's upcoming reshuffle, our party is considering plans to restructure itself." The Saenuri Party will also hold a party convention on July 14th to nominate a new leader. Saenuri Party heavyweights, Kim Moo-sung and Suh Chung-won have announced their intentions to run and both have pledged to give the party new life through reforms. The new party leader's first task will likely be rallying the troops ahead of July 30th by-elections. They are considered important as the number of National Assembly seats up for grabs could be as high as 18. Ten former lawmakers gave up their Assembly badges to run in local elections,... while two lawmakers lost seats for violating election laws. Another eight more seats could be available as lawmakers are awaiting rulings on other charges. Political analysts say the outcome of the by-elections could serve as another barometer of public sentiment... on the heels of the local elections. The ruling party currently holds 149 seats in parliament... and needs just one more seat to resume its majority status at the 300-member National Assembly. Ji Myung-kil, Arirang News.