South Korea's conservative ruling party may have lost its parliamentary majority in Wednesday's general election, exit polls by three major TV channels showed.

The polls said the Saenuri Party was forecast to win between 118 and 147 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. The main opposition Minjoo Party was expected to secure between 97 and 128 and the splinter opposition People's Party to win between 31 and 43 seats.