[Reporter’s Notebook] When going viral goes awry in election

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party has once again come under fire for an inconsiderate social media post, which appeared to disregard the seriousness of the situation in Ukraine. On Monday, a tweet was uploaded on Yoon’s Twitter account with the message, “We stand with Ukraine” in both Korean and English. However, the tweet grabbed public attention not for its message, but for the attached photo: A tangerine with an angry face draw

March 2, 2022

Dead heat race continues with a week until election

With just a week to go until Election Day, many poll results are still showing a tight neck-and-neck race between the two major candidates, a situation unusual compared to past presidential elections. A Realmeter survey of 1,007 adults conducted from Monday to Tuesday showed Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party in the lead with 46.3 percent, closely followed by Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea at 43.1 percent. Minor centrist People’s Party candidat

March 2, 2022

Smarkets predicts Yoon Suk-yeol as winner of presidential race with 7 days until the election

A London-based betting exchange running a live prediction of the 20th presidential election for South Korea showed the main opposition party candidate with a higher chance of winning the race against his ruling party rival as just a week remains before Election Day. As of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, a betting page for the South Korean presidential election on Smarkets predicted presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party at 69.44 percent chance of winning the election

March 2, 2022

Yoon leads Lee 46.3% to 43.1%, 44.6% to 43.7%: polls

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is leading his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung by 3.2 percentage points or less just a week before the election, two polls showed Wednesday. In a Realmeter survey conducted Monday and Tuesday, Yoon of the conservative People Power Party earned 46.3 percent support against Lee of the liberal Democratic Party's 43.1 percent. The 3.2 percentage point gap was within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confid

March 2, 2022

Is Yoon Suk-yeol the South Korean Trump?

Is Yoon Suk-yeol the South Korean Trump? That is what his opponents and critics seem to think for the many parallels the conservative candidate from the People Power Party has with former US President Donald Trump. Both have made remarks that would be offensive to other countries, praised heavily controversial political figures, gone after foreigners and shown a poor understanding of feminism. On top of using anti-China rhetoric, the two also like to speak to their base on social media and a

March 2, 2022

Minor presidential candidate Kim withdraws from race to support ruling party's Lee

Kim Dong-yeon, the presidential candidate of the minor New Wave Party, dropped out of the race Wednesday to support ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung. Kim, who served as President Moon Jae-in's first finance minister, announced the withdrawal a day after he reached an agreement with Lee of the ruling Democratic Party to have policy coalitions and operation of a joint government. "It was not an easy decision for me," Kim said. "Please understand this was a difficult decisio

March 2, 2022

Presidential candidates set for final TV debate

The four main presidential candidates are set to face off in their final TV debate Wednesday. The debate comes a week before the election and two days before the start of early voting over two days. The two-hour session will be hosted by the National Election Commission, the state election watchdog, and focus on social issues, such as welfare policies and the demographic crisis. All four candidates -- Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party, Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Po

March 2, 2022

Lee forms ‘policy alliance’ with minor candidate

Presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Kim Dong-yeon, a nominee of the New Wave, on Tuesday agreed to form a “policy alliance” to vie against the opposition blocs in the presidential race. Lee met with Kim, who served as the finance minister under the incumbent Moon Jae-in administration, and both agreed to together pursue reforms in the electoral and political systems, according to a joint statement. The two candidates said they will r

March 1, 2022

Lee condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying it is shocking that a UN Security Council member carried out such an incursion in direct violation of the UN Charter. Lee of the ruling Democratic Party made the remark during a discussion hosted jointly by the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, saying South Korea's government should join international sanctions o

March 1, 2022

Yoon’s strategy to favor young men over women has polarized polls. Will it backfire?

Along with the parties’ excessive dirt digging, the topic of gender divide has overshadowed policies and pledges in this year’s presidential election, as candidates ramp up gender-biased rhetoric to form their campaign narratives. In a bid to secure votes from the undecided electorate in their 20s and 30s who are sensitive to gender-related issues, presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party has taken the side of young men, laying out pledges in t

March 1, 2022

Moon urges Japan to face history and be humble before it

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday urged Japan to face history and sympathize with the wounds of its neighboring countries in a ceremony to mark the March 1st Movement on Tuesday. Moon and his wife Kim Jung-sook attended the 103rd anniversary ceremony of the March 1st Movement at the National Memorial of the Korean Provisional Government in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. The memorial hall, which was created as part of Moon’s presidential pledge, opened for the first time on the day. “Coopera

March 1, 2022

Leading presidential candidates to highlight Japan policies on independence movement anniversary

The two leading presidential candidates are expected to highlight their plans for relations with Japan on Tuesday as the country marks the anniversary of a 1919 uprising against Tokyo's colonial rule. Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) are expected to use their campaign rallies in Seoul to outline how they will handle relations with Japan long plagued by history-related tensions. Lee will kick off his campaign sched

March 1, 2022

Security emerges as key issue in presidential election as Ukraine crisis unfolds

South Korean presidential candidates’ stances on national security and foreign policy are emerging as key issues in the upcoming election as East-West tensions escalate over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Each candidate has insisted that their security views are the best for the country, while some of their attacks on rivals have backfired. The two frontrunners, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s Lee Jae-myung and the main opposition People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeo

Feb. 28, 2022

People Power Party unveils more documents to claim Lee Jae-myung's involvement in Daejang-dong scandal

Former Jeju Province Gov. Won Hee-ryong is unveiling documents on the controversial Daejang-dong development project, alleging that presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea was the mastermind behind the whole project. During a press conference held Monday at the headquarters of the main opposition People Power Party, Won unveiled a series of documents that Won claims directly link Lee to the scandal, as seen from his hand-written signature. Won said the docume

Feb. 28, 2022

Moon calls for impenetrable defense posture

President Moon Jae-in called for a powerful defense posture Monday, saying peace can be achieved only based on strong defense, as the world is reeling from Russia's shocking invasion of Ukraine. "The peace and prosperity we enjoy have been achieved on the foundation of strong security," Moon told a commencement and commissioning ceremony for the Korea Army Academy in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. Based on strong defense capabilities, South Korea has pushed for peace efforts on

Feb. 28, 2022

Lee under fire over remarks on Ukraine

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has come under fire for appearing to blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for Russia's invasion of the country. Lee of the liberal Democratic Party (DP) made the controversial remarks during a TV presidential debate Friday while trying to underscore the political inexperience of main opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party. "In Ukraine, a novice politician of six months became president and declared

Feb. 28, 2022

Presidential candidates enter final full week of campaigning

Presidential candidates on Monday kicked off their final full week of campaigning with polls still indicating a dead heat between ruling party nominee Lee Jae-myung and main opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol. Lee of the liberal Democratic Party is set to meet with voters in the southeastern region of the country, including in Pohang, Gyeongju and Daegu, as he seeks to woo the traditionally conservative base. In the evening, he is scheduled to visit his hometown of Andong to rally voters there.

Feb. 28, 2022

Govt. to suspend vaccine pass enforcement at restaurants, cafes starting Tuesday

The enforcement of vaccine passes at restaurants, cafes and other multiuse facilities will be temporarily lifted starting Tuesday to reduce the burden of health workers mobilized to issue negative test certificates, Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol said Monday. Speaking at an interagency COVID-19 response meeting, Jeon said the decision will help the government prioritize its administrative capacity toward dealing with the fast spread of the omicron coronavirus variant and high-risk virus patie

Feb. 28, 2022

Yoon makes eleventh-hour merger plea to Ahn Cheol-soo

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party on Sunday made a public proposal for a one-on-one negotiation with Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People’s Party to unify candidacies, while revealing that the last-minute efforts he had so far made were rejected by Ahn. “Until this time, I have been doing my best for candidacy unification with Ahn Cheol-soo, with a sincere attitude,” Yoon said in a press conference Sunday. “I have ma

Feb. 27, 2022

Those opposing end-of-war declaration ‘anti-state,’ Lee Jae-myung insists

Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung’s comment on endorsing an end-of-war declaration resurfaced during a televised presidential debate Friday night, in which Lee accused those against the move of being “anti-state” and thereby denouncing the diplomatic views of his presidential race competitors. Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor centrist People’s Party asked Lee to elaborate on what he meant by saying those against the end-of-war declaration are not just being pro-Japanese, bu

Feb. 25, 2022