Lee urges govt. to protect S. Korean nationals, firms in Ukraine

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung urged the government on Wednesday to ensure the safety of South Korean nationals and businesses in Ukraine amid the escalating security crisis there. Lee of the liberal Democratic Party also called on relevant countries to do everything for a peaceful resolution to the crisis, which has intensified since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into two breakaway regions of Ukraine. "The situation in Ukraine is alarming," Lee wro

Feb. 23, 2022

[Newsmaker] Ruling party concentrates fire on Yoon over wife’s alleged stock manipulation

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday slammed Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, accusing him of hiding the truth about his wife’s alleged involvement in a stock manipulation case. “Yoon will lose in the presidential election because of Kim Keon-hee’s stock manipulation charges,” Rep. Woo Sang-ho of the ruling party said, speaking at a campaign committee meeting Wednesday. Woo is chief of the campaign committee for Lee J

Feb. 23, 2022

[Election 101] Branding for office: How candidates are marketed for elections

In every election, candidates offer pledges, but winning support requires a person voters can believe in, and complex marketing and branding tactics are key parts of a candidate's public image. TV advertisements have undoubtedly taken up a large portion of marketing tactics in each presidential election, and successful video appearance has accounted for much of success tales of many former presidents in their bid for the top administrative post. Famously, President Moon Jae-in for the 2017 pr

Feb. 23, 2022

Overseas voting begins, candidates seek to win over expats

As the 20th presidential election for overseas Koreans begins on Wednesday, presidential candidates compete to win over expat voters, pledging to establish the overseas Korean office and improve the current inconvenient election system. Overseas elections take place at 219 polling stations at 177 diplomatic missions in 115 countries worldwide. There are 226,152 registered overseas voters. First voting starts with the New Zealand Embassy and Auckland branch at 4 a.m. on Wednesday. In the case

Feb. 23, 2022

Yoon, Lee neck and neck at 42.7% vs. 42.6%: poll

  Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol and ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung are running neck and neck with 42.7 percent and 42.6 percent support, respectively, a poll showed Tuesday. The survey by Hangil Research was conducted on 1,027 adults from last Saturday to Monday. Yoon of the conservative People Power Party gained 0.3 percentage point from the pollster's previous survey conducted Feb. 12-14, while Lee of the liberal Democratic Party gained 0.7 point. In th

Feb. 22, 2022

Yoon Suk-yeol’s campaign ad accused of ‘pitting men against women’

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party has come under fire over a scene in his campaign ad where a man side-eyes a woman during a job interview, with the caption “fairness and common sense destroyed.” In one scene during the one-minute ad, a nervous looking job interview candidate in a suit looks at another man sitting next to him briefly before side-eying a woman. As the man comes out of the room, he appears upset as he takes his name card o

Feb. 22, 2022

‘To merge, or not to merge’: Noise on campaign merger continues

Talks of a campaign merger of presidential candidates Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People’s Party continue, despite Ahn withdrawing his initial proposal for merger talks. On Tuesday, Ahn continued his criticism of Yoon, who “fled” from a proposal to compete in a two-way primary to decide on a unified candidate. “I made the suggestion to hold a public primary (for a campaign merger) to Yoon. But (Yoon)

Feb. 22, 2022

Moon says Ukraine’s sovereignty must be respected

Amid mounting fears of a Russian incursion into Ukraine, President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that Ukraine’s sovereignty must be respected and Korea will actively participate in peace efforts for the nation. “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial preservation must be respected and peaceful solutions should be actively sought through dialogue,” Moon said, presiding over an unscheduled joint meeting of the National Security Council and the Foreign Economic Security Strategy

Feb. 22, 2022

Can the Korean won become a reserve currency?

Presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea claimed that the South Korean won is close to becoming a reserve currency, a comment that was immediately met with a huge uproar and mocked. During a presidential debate Monday, Lee said he is aware of a report that South Korea is close to seeing its local currency become a reserve currency like the US dollar, which will enable the country to increase its budgetary spending and raise the national debt level without worri

Feb. 22, 2022

Moon calls for thorough preparation for safe election, swift execution of extra budget

President Moon Jae-in instructed officials Tuesday to make thorough preparations for a safe presidential election and swiftly execute a newly approved extra budget amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Moon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae as daily COVID-19 cases have reached 100,000 in recent days with two weeks to go until the election on March 9. "The election management authorities and health authorities must prepare thoroughly to ensure our people can vote with as

Feb. 22, 2022

Ruling party chief says resumption of Kaesong complex possible

The chief of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) has said the resumption of a shuttered inter-Korean joint industrial complex in North Korea is possible through conditional relief of sanctions and in-kind payment of wages, officials said Tuesday. Rep. Song Young-il made the remarks during a meeting Monday with Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation, as they discussed ways to improve the human rights situation in the North, according to the DP. Quintan

Feb. 22, 2022

Ruling party seeking another extra budget for COVID-19 relief

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) will push for another extra budget to support pandemic-hit small businesses, the party's floor leader said Tuesday. Rep. Yun Ho-jung said the DP plans to swiftly draft a second supplementary budget for this year after the March 9 presidential election and will even consider using an emergency order if necessary. His remarks came a day after the National Assembly passed a 16.9 trillion-won ($14.2 billion) extra budget bill, which was up 2.9 trillion won from the g

Feb. 22, 2022

Moon to preside over NSC meeting to discuss Ukraine crisis

President Moon Jae-in will preside over a meeting of the National Security Council on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine, Cheong Wa Dae said. The meeting, set to take place at Cheong Wa Dae at 11 a.m., comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in Ukraine after recognizing their independence. Moon is expected to use the meeting to discuss measures to protect South Korean nationals and minimize damage to South Korean businesses b

Feb. 22, 2022

Samsung heir again summoned in presidential candidate debate

The inheritance tax bill faced by Samsung Group’s leader Lee Jae-yong was again mentioned in the televised debate among key presidential candidates on Monday as People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol and Justice Party’s Sim Sang-jung quarreled over Yoon’s pledge to abolish capital gains tax on stocks. Sim first asked Yoon, “Do you know why the tax was introduced?” When Yoon said no, Sim said, “The introduction of the tax stems from Samsung Lee Jae-yong&rs

Feb. 21, 2022

Lee says state should be responsible for all losses placed on self-employed

Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, apologized to small business owners and self-employed people who sustained losses from the social distancing measures, drawing a clear line with the Moon Jae-in administration’s quarantine policies. “The first duty of the state is to protect the lives and safety of the public, and protecting the lives of the people from infectious disease is also a part of the state’s responsibility,” Lee said in a te

Feb. 21, 2022

Lee Jae-myung attacks rival Yoon for possible involvement in Daejang-dong scandal

Presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea attacked his main rival Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party for his possible involvement in the Daejang-dong development scandal during the presidential TV debate Monday. The ruling party candidate held up a sign showing excerpts of a conversation between Kim Man-be, owner of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, and Jeong Young-hak, a public accountant and a stakeholder in the development project, that hi

Feb. 21, 2022

Yoon calls for ‘digital data economy,’ Ahn questions validity

Yoon Suk-yeol, candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, put forward the idea of “digital data economy” in Monday’s televised debate, inciting criticism from Ahn Cheol-soo, the opposition People’s Party’s nominee. “It is an era of slow growth. It is difficult to resolve the economic polarization and encourage social mobility at a time like this. We have to strengthen the digital data economy, creating a new paradigm,” Yoon said during a TV pr

Feb. 21, 2022

Lee Jae-myung accused of aping Lee Myung-bak's signature economy pledges

Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea was accused of mimicking former conservative President Lee Myung-bak’s vision for economic growth of South Korea. Rep. Sim Sang-jung of the left-wing Justice Party asked during a televised presidential debate Monday if Lee Jae-myung, a liberal, was copying Lee Myung-bak in promising specific figures for target in laying out his economic initiatives even though the two figures have wildly different political ideol

Feb. 21, 2022

Why isn’t COVID-19 top priority for S. Korea’s next president?

A new president is about to be elected, leading South Korea through the next phase of the pandemic. So why is COVID-19 getting so little attention in the presidential race? 　 It wasn’t until after a hospital bed shortage induced by the “living with COVID-19” scheme in November that the leading candidates -- the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s Lee Jae-myung and main opposition People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol -- set up dedicated committees for outlining their p

Feb. 21, 2022

Presidential race escalates into show of performance

From smashing pine boards in a taekwondo uniform to beating a traditional drum, the two presidential candidates leading the race are each putting on a show to woo voters. Addressing a crowd of residents in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday, presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea smashed pine boards while donning a taekwondo uniform, in a show of his determination to change the country when he is elected. “Like how Gyeonggi Province is different b

Feb. 21, 2022