South Korea's ruling Saenuri party has taken the majority of seats in parliamentary polls.

韩国执政党新进党赢得议会选举的多数席位。

That gives the party 25 more than the opposition¹ Democratic United Party (DUP), which had earlier been tipped to win the election.

In a statement, President Lee Myung-bak said people had made "wise choices".

The vote is being seen as a key test for the leader ahead of presidential elections later this year.

"The government will do its best to take care of state affairs and the livelihood² of ordinary people in a stable manner and to push ahead with policies for the sake of national interests and the future," Mr Lee said in his statement.

The conservative Saenuri party struggled to hold on to its majority, shedding 13 seats.

DUP official Park Sun-sook conceded（承认，退让） defeat and apologised to supporters for "disappointing" them.

"The DUP failed to turn public calls for punishing the... ruling party into reality," she told reporters.

The wafer-thin majority apparently³ secured by the governing will have an important psychological effect, as South Korea prepares for a new round of elections - presidential this time - in December, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul.