The dramatic victory for Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party marks a shift for South Korea where voters veered back to give support to the right after five years of the liberal faction rule under President Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea. Yoon's win symbolizes South Korea's wish to bring justice and equality to society after many felt the opposite in the performance of the Moon administration, which also came to power from voters’ yearning for the same five years ago. Ma

Politics March 10, 2022

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

Politics March 10, 2022

 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

Politics March 10, 2022

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

Politics March 10, 2022

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

Politics March 9, 2022

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 Affairs March 9, 2022

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

Politics March 9, 2022

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

Politics March 9, 2022

The election campaigns for the presidential election wrapped up Tuesday, with candidates each promising a brighter future for Korea. While the front-runners spent the last day of campaigns claiming to be the right choice for the nation’s future, their campaigns have been marred with scandals and accusations, which all but buried pledges and policy initiatives. On Tuesday, all major candidates marked an end to their campaign journeys in central and symbolic areas of Seoul, having spent

Politics March 8, 2022

Accusations of rigging online opinions have been raised yet again, further marring a presidential race that has already been characterized by mudslinging, now in its final days. The accusations follow a news report that revealed a recording file that could potentially damage presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party, and its rapid spread online upon release Sunday night. However, claims emerged that the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and campaign officia

Politics March 8, 2022

COVID-19 patients and those in quarantine will be allowed to vote after 6 p.m. at the same voting booths and ballot boxes as other voters on Wednesday, the election watchdog said Monday, after facing criticism for its lackluster management of early voting booths and ballot boxes for infected voters over the weekend. The National Election Commission said following an emergency internal meeting held Monday morning that COVID-19 patients and those under quarantine orders will be given between 6 p.

Politics March 7, 2022

South Korea saw an unprecedented turnout in early voting for the 20th presidential election, but immense discomfort and suspicions of electoral fraud arose with election watchdog's lack of preparation in running voting booths for COVID-19 patients. During the two-day early voting period for the March 9 election, more than 16.3 million, or 36.93 percent, of 44.2 million eligible voters cast their ballots, according to the National Election Commission on Saturday. The highest turnout was in South

Politics March 6, 2022

Whoever wins the 20th presidential election on March 9, the winner faces the complex task of bringing unity among South Koreans -- a pledge repeated by almost all recent presidents -- and measure out policies to bring naysayers to the table for the next five years. The race so far has largely been centered on mudslinging and denunciations, especially between ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea and his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Part

Politics March 5, 2022

Early voting started for the 20th presidential election on Friday, with candidates and political heavyweights casting their votes to encourage more voters to participate. The National Election Commission on Friday opened early voting at 3,552 polling stations across the country, and eyes are on how high the turnout would be in the continued dead heat race between the two main candidates. Polling stations will open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. COVID-19 patients and those under sel

Politics March 4, 2022

The presidential election campaign committee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea is keen on interpreting the effects of the merger deal announced from the opposition with less than 24 hours to go before early voting was due to start at 6 a.m. on Friday. Campaign staff members for the ruling party's candidate Lee Jae-myung insist the effects of the candidacy merger will be limited, and experts agree to an extent. Yet they agree the announcement will increase the odds of presidential nominee

Politics March 3, 2022