Lee Jae-myung accepts defeat in close-fought presidential election

Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea conceded defeat early Thursday, to confirm the victory of his rival Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party. Lee said in a speech made at around 3:50 a.m. Thursday at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, that he solemnly accepted the people’s choice. By 3:37 a.m., 96.22 percent of the ballots were counted, with Lee pulling in 47.79 percent of the total -- 0.81 percentag

PoliticsMarch 10, 2022

Yoon Suk-yeol elected president by fine margin

The main opposition People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol confirmed his place as South Korea's next president after his opponent, Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung, conceded defeat in the early hours of Thursday morning.  He will become the first former prosecutor to be elected president and the first president without any political experience. As of 3:55 a.m. on Thursday, with 98 percent of votes counted by the National Election Commission, Yoon had 48.6 perc

PoliticsMarch 10, 2022

Gap in vote count widens to hint at Yoon’s victory

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition party looks to be on course for victory as the gap in vote tallies has widened during counting. With 85 percent of votes counted as of 2:13 a.m. Thursday, 48.64 percent were for Yoon, against 47.78 percent for the ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung. Although about 15 percent of votes remained to be counted, some media outlets and the country’s largest portal Naver rated Yoon’s win as “likely.” By Jo He-rim (

PoliticsMarch 10, 2022

Justice Party candidate accepts outcome, vows to work for change

 Rep. Sim Sang-jung, the presidential candidate for the minor left-wing Justice Party, said she and her party accepted the outcome of the 20th presidential election as her share of the vote stood at 2.24 percent with 59 percent of votes counted. Sim said in a speech at her party’s situation room in Yeouido, Seoul, that she “solemnly accepts” the results and vowed that the Justice Party would make efforts again to win the minds of voters who want meaningful change to their

PoliticsMarch 10, 2022

Ballot count in progress, Yoon edges ahead

With the ballot count in full swing, People Power Party members cheered on as its flagbearer Yoon Suk-yeol took the lead over ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung after midnight on Thursday. With about half of ballots counted as of 12:31 a.m., Yoon edged past Lee of the Democratic Party of Korea, to garner 48.3 of the counted ballots to 48.2. As Yoon’s vote total closed in Lee’s, a number of the party’s lawmakers including the election campaign chief Rep. Kwon Young-se and the

PoliticsMarch 10, 2022

Irregularities continue to fan electoral fraud accusations

Accusations of electoral fraud continued to surface Wednesday, as several problems with ballot handling during the 20th presidential election were reported. Local media outlet Segye Ilbo reported 10:13 p.m. Wednesday that a polling station in Incheon found a batch of ballots in a different color, forcing election officials there to halt the vote count at 10 p.m. Ballot papers used in Wednesday’s election are white, but ballots printed on yellowish paper were found in one of the ballot box

PoliticsMarch 10, 2022

Voter turnout falls short of last election’s record

Voter turnout for this year’s presidential election reached 77.1 percent, similar to the figures from the previous election. Nearly 8 in 10 eligible South Korean voters cast their votes to elect a new president, including ballots from two days of early voting. Approximately 34 million out of 44.2 million eligible voters ultimately cast their ballots. A final figure is expected to come out sometime Thursday. The preliminary tally released less than two hours after polls closed at 7:30 p.m

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022

People Power Party less than excited by exit poll results

Members of the main opposition People Power Party appeared to be less than excited after the exit poll results released by the major broadcasters showed an unexpectedly tight race Wednesday evening. At the party’s election headquarters set up inside the National Assembly, People Power Party leadership, including the party’s Chairman Lee Jun-seok and election campaign chief Rep. Kwon Young-se, had come to watch the exit poll results that emerged after polls officially closed nationw

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022

Exit polls show neck-and-neck presidential race

Wednesday’s presidential election came down to a neck-and-neck race, with exit polls placing the two front-runners at less than 1 percentage point apart. At 7:30 p.m., the three terrestrial broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS released the result of an exit survey conducted from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The Korea Election Pool commissioned three investigative agencies -- Hankook Research, Korea Research and Ipsos Korea -- to conduct exit surveys. And 1,480 investigators were dispatched

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022

Ruling party officials shout for joy upon release of exit poll results

Officials with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea cheered with joy upon release of exit poll results that hinted at a tight race between its presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party. Upon release of results from a joint exit poll by KBS, MBC and SBS, Democratic Party officials screamed in joy and chanted Lee‘s name loudly at a situation room they prepared inside the National Assembly. The joint exit poll by the three terrestrial b

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022

Lee and Yoon run neck and neck race: exit poll

The ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea’s Lee Jae-myung and the conservative People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol are running neck and neck in the presidential election, exit polls showed Wednesday evening. According to an exit poll conducted by the country’s three major broadcast companies -- SBS, KBS and MBC -- the People Power Party’s Yoon is expected to take over 48.4 percent of the vote, edging out his competitor Lee at 47.8 percent. On the other hand, accordi

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022

Arrest warrant in review for ruling party chief’s assailant

A local court is reviewing an arrest warrant request against a YouTuber under police custody for attacking the chief of the ruling party with a hammer on Monday. The Seoul Western District Court on Wednesday started reviewing an arrest warrant request filed by law enforcement for attacking Rep. Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, while Song was campaigning in Seodaemun-gu, western Seoul, on Monday afternoon. The 70-year-old man surnamed Pyo, who runs a political YouTu

Social AffairsMarch 9, 2022

[Photo News] Voting at coffee chains, opticians? Unusual polling stations

South Korean on Wednesday voted to elect their next president in places as disparate as coffee shops, car dealerships and an indoor traditional Korean wrestling ssireum field. According to the National Election Commission, polling stations are normally set up in schools, community centers and government offices, but if the commission cannot find a suitable place, they can also be installed in other privately-owned spaces that are easily accessible to the public. A total of 14,464 polling stat

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022

Celebrities encourage voting with post-vote snaps, ballot stamps

From globally famous K-pop idols to film and television stars, South Korean celebrities exercised their rights to vote Wednesday and shared photos on social media of ballot hand stamps and post-vote selfies, hoping to get fans to fulfill their civic duties. Though their messages may have been the same, the celebrities took different styles of pictures to share their voting experience. TV personality Jun Hyun-moo, actor Yoon Eun-hye, singer Kim Jung-min and the bassist of band Crying Nut Han Ky

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022

[Election 2022] Voters with COVID-19 to begin voting

Polls closed for regular voters around the country at 6 p.m. Now it’s time for those who have contracted COVID-19 or are under home quarantine to cast their ballots to elect the next president of South Korea. The National Election Commission plans to wrap up this special voting process at 7:30 p.m., but it may take longer, depending on how many of the 1.16 million COVID-19 patients and self-isolators show up. During the March 4 and 5 early voting period, the election regulator came und

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022

[Election 2022] When will we know the winner?

When will the winner of today’s presidential election become clear? Probably around 1 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Election Commission on Wednesday. At 7:30 p.m., which is when polls will close nationwide, exit poll results will be released by major broadcasters. According to the Korean Broadcasters Association Wednesday, MBC, KBS and SBS will announce the results of their joint survey at 7:30 p.m., based on interviews with voters who cast their ballots between 6 a.m. and

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022

[Election 2022] What foreign media has said about election

“Squid Game”-like, "unlikable" and “the nastiest” in recent history are some of the phrases that foreign media outlets have used to describe South Korea’s presidential showdown.  Following is a compilation of quotes from major news outlets.  “Shamans, Hitler and mutual hatred: South Koreans go to polls in rancorous election” -- The Guardian  “Both candidates’ disapproval ratings matched their popularity as scandals

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022

President-elect to receive presidential security services immediately upon victory

The winner of the 20th presidential election, expected to be announced early Thursday, will be provided with the same protective security and escort services as the incumbent president immediately upon victory. According to the Presidential Security Service on Wednesday, the office has already assembled a team to provide protection for the president-elect, his or her spouse and directly related family members. The team will be tasked with providing escort and security services for the presiden

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022

Raising birth rates, balanced regional growth on urgent agenda for new administration

The winner of the presidential election, like many of his predecessors, will immediately face the uniquely South Korean problem of population decline and its potential to wreak further havoc on growth in regions outside the capital. South Korea's total fertility rate hit 0.81 births per woman last year, down from 0.84 a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea last month. It marked the lowest figure since 1970 when the agency started collecting related data, and is the lowest rate recorded a

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022

Lee Jun-seok says women are less likely to vote than men

Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the People Power Party, continued fanning the “gender war,” claiming women are less likely to vote than men. “Some surveys show women have less intention to vote compared to men. They may show systemized movements online, but it is difficult to say that (the movements) lead to actual voting,” Lee said on a radio show Monday. When asked about his party’s candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s vow to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and F

PoliticsMarch 9, 2022