[Voters &] ‘Young voters’ ask to be taken more seriously

With less than three weeks to go to the presidential election, Kim Min-young, 31, has yet to decide who she will support for the country’s next president, as none of the contenders have been successful in persuading her. “The many election promises the candidates have made to target voters in their 20s and 30s lack details in how they link with the visions and principles the candidates hold for their government,” Kim, an office worker in Seoul, told The Korea Herald. &ldqu

Feb. 21, 2022

Moon urges unvaccinated people to get Novavax vaccine

President Moon Jae-in on Monday called for unvaccinated people to get Novavax Inc's vaccine, as the nation started administering fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines amid a surge in omicron infections. Moon made the remarks at a meeting with senior aides as the government is grappling with a new wave of infections driven by the highly contagious omicron variant. Starting Monday, health authorities began administering fourth doses of shots to high-risk groups, such as elderly people in nursing homes

Feb. 21, 2022

2 former Samsung execs under review for March 1 day parole

Two former top executives of Samsung Group have been included among candidates for the upcoming independence movement day parole, sources said Monday. Choi Gee-sung, former head of Samsung's now-disbanded control tower Future Strategy Office, and Chang Choong-ki, former deputy chief of the office, are among those who may be granted parole by the Ministry of Justice in celebration of the March 1 Independence Movement Day, the sources told Yonhap News Agency. The ministry plans to discuss whether

Feb. 21, 2022

[Reporter's Notebook] Election's about the future, but campaigns are focused on the past

South Koreans to this day have directly elected seven presidents to lead the country and are on course to vote for their eighth leader next month. Since direct elections began in 1987, every presidential candidate has carried slogans and signature policy aims to win support while outlining his or her vision. However outlandish or vain they may be, these promises have carried considerable weight in swaying voters. So it would not be unreasonable to expect policy to take center stage in debates

Feb. 21, 2022

Ahns vows to start again after scrapping opposition merger

Presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party on Monday renewed his resolve to finish the presidential race on his own after scrapping a potential merger with main opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol. Ahn revealed in a Facebook post that he visited a museum dedicated to revered Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun on Sunday just hours before he held a press conference to announce the withdrawal of his offer to merge campaigns with Yoon of the People Power Party

Feb. 21, 2022

Lee vows to establish special COVID-19 relief committee

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Monday that establishing a special committee for emergency COVID-19 relief will be his No. 1 executive order if he wins the March 9 presidential election. Lee of the Democratic Party (DP) also promised that South Korea's virus response will "definitely change" from March 10 as he distances himself from the current government's COVID-19 scheme in an effort to win public support ahead of the election. "The presidential transitio

Feb. 21, 2022

Lee, Yoon neck and neck at 43.7% vs. 42.2%: survey

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is neck and neck with main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol with 43.7 percent against 42.2 percent, a survey showed Monday. In the survey by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), Lee of the liberal Democratic Party gained 3.3 percentage points from last week, while Yoon of the conservative People Power Party lost 1.3 percentage points. The 1.5 percentage-point gap is within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage

Feb. 21, 2022

Minor progressive candidate attacks two front runners for corruption related scandals

Over the weekend, Sim Sang-jung, the minor progressive Justice Party’s presidential candidate, attacked the two front-runners for their corruption-related scandals, stressing she is “the only clean candidate qualified to be president.” On Sunday, she led her canvassing in Seoul, meeting with the people at Gwanaksan and Gangnam Station. “What is the most important quality of a president? It is the morality to refrain from using power -- given to use for the people -- fo

Feb. 20, 2022

[Voters &] Conservatism no longer the realm of the aged

The divide among age groups’ political inclinations in South Korea is breaking down, with many younger voters supporting conservatives, joining older voters. However, though the two age groups may root for the same candidate and party, the reasons behind their support differ. While older conservatives’ support for Yoon Suk-yeol and the People Power Party has firmer footing, young conservative voters’ support is characterized by disappointment in the existing political situati

Feb. 20, 2022

Candidacy merger now off the table, Ahn Cheol-soo says

Presidential nominee Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party announced he will no longer consider a candidacy merger with Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party, vowing to finish the race on his own even if the path ahead may be "rough and difficult." The presidential candidate said in an emergency press briefing Sunday that he will no longer wait for Yoon to respond to his offer to unify their candidacy as the opposition bloc from a week earlier, as it b

Feb. 20, 2022

Lee vows to push back COVID-19 curfew to midnight if elected

SEOUL/SUWON -- Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Sunday he will push back the COVID-19 curfew on cafes, restaurants and other multiuse facilities to midnight on the first day after the March 9 election. "On March 10, I will put a stop to unnecessary, excessive quarantine and let businesses operate freely until midnight for those fully vaccinated with booster shots," Lee said during a campaign speech in Suwon, south of Seoul. Lee said COVID-19 has "evolved to b

Feb. 20, 2022

Yoon leads Lee 42.9% to 38.7%: poll

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is leading his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung with 42.9 percent public support to 38.7 percent, a survey showed Sunday. Yoon of the People Power Party gained 1.3 percentage points from a week ago, while Lee of the Democratic Party lost 0.4 percentage point, according to the Realmeter survey conducted on 3,043 adults from last Sunday to Friday. The gap between Yoon and Lee widened to 4.2 percentage points from the previous week's 2.5 percenta

Feb. 20, 2022

Yoon says N. Korea could carry out provocations while US is focused on Ukraine

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol said Sunday North Korea could undertake provocations, like missile launches, while the United States is distracted by tensions in Ukraine as he called for ensuring watertight security posture with the US "As the US focuses on Europe, among others, North Korea may carry out a strategic provocation like an intercontinental ballistic missile test, or a local provocation near the border," Yoon of the conservative People Power Party wrote

Feb. 20, 2022

Cheong Wa Dae lashes out at Yoon’s ‘fascist’ remark

The presidential office and main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol are once again wrangling over words, this time over Yoon’s comparison of the current administration to past fascist regimes. Speaking at a canvassing event on Thursday, Yoon of the People Power Party hit out at the incumbent Moon Jae-in government for “blaming others for their faults, and making up sins” of other people. “(Moon’s administration) puts blame on others to cover their o

Feb. 18, 2022

Yoon’s pledge to build large shopping mall in Gwangju sparks controversy

The idea of building a large shopping mall in the liberal stronghold of Gwangju has become a political hot potato, after presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party made it his election pledge this week. Yoon revealed the idea of building Gwangju’s first mega shopping mall on Wednesday, emphasizing how Gwangju is the “only” city without such a facility and blamed the ruling Democratic Party of Korea for standing in the way of the plan. &l

Feb. 18, 2022

Moon steps up calls for lawmakers to swiftly approve extra budget bill

President Moon Jae-in on Friday stepped up calls for the National Assembly to swiftly approve an extra budget bill, citing "desperate" hardship facing small merchants hit by the COVID-19 restrictions. "As the situation of small merchants and self-employed people is desperate, the National Assembly should actively cooperate to resolve the difficulties of people's livelihoods by approving an extra budget bill as soon as possible," Moon told a meeting with his aides earlier in t

Feb. 18, 2022

Ahn to resume campaigning after funerals of campaign workers

Minor presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo will resume campaigning this weekend after attending the funerals of two campaign workers who died in an accident this week, an official said Friday. Ahn of the centrist People's Party suspended his campaign activities after a local campaign chief and a bus driver were found dead inside a campaign vehicle on Tuesday apparently due to gas poisoning from a generator powering an LED screen. Ahn attended the party member's funeral Friday morning and will tr

Feb. 18, 2022

Yoon leads Lee 41% to 34%: poll

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is leading his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung with 41 percent public support against Lee's 34 percent, a survey showed Friday. Yoon of the conservative People Power Party gained 4 percentage points from last week, while Lee of the liberal Democratic Party lost 2 percentage points, according to the poll conducted on 1,007 adults from Tuesday to Thursday by Gallup Korea. The gap between Yoon and Lee was outside the margin of error of plus or m

Feb. 18, 2022

Three weeks before election, Yoon still leads Lee in polls

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is leading his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung by 9 percentage points and 4 percentage points, two polls respectively showed Thursday. Yoon of the conservative People Power Party earned 40 percent support against Lee of the liberal Democratic Party's 31 percent, according to a poll conducted on 1,012 adults from Monday to Wednesday by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research. Yoon gained 5 percentage points from

Feb. 17, 2022

Yoon once again haunted by ‘kkondae’ image

Presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party came under fire earlier this week after a picture of him putting his feet on a train seat went viral. The photo, uploaded on social media by his aide Lee Sang-il, showed Yoon’s legs all stretched out with his feet on the seat opposite of him with his shoes on. The train was chartered by his party as part of his presidential campaign. The social media post has been deleted following criticism. His show of poor

Feb. 17, 2022