Beefed up security to protect presidential candidates
Police step up security after threats made against candidates, particularly Lee Jae-myung
Special police equipment, officers and tactical units are protecting the candidates in the upcoming presidential race, particularly Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, who has recently been subject to multiple threats online.
According to local media reports, police have dispatched special binoculars and a laser-using sniper detection system to identify potential threats against the candidates. South Korean police are reported to have binoculars with functions such as thermal imaging technology, which allows detection via body temperature.
Radio detectors and signal jamming devices have been deployed against possible drone attacks, according to Yonhap News Agency, and explosive-detecting canine units are dispatched to where candidates make public appearances. It was also reported that veteran officers were selected for the special security duties, with superintendent-level officials heading each team.
The National Police Agency has not revealed exactly how many police personnel are dispatched for safeguarding the candidates, although it was reported in April that the number will be significantly higher than the 150 officers selected for the 2022 presidential election.
Presidential candidates receive the second-highest "eulho" protection — normally for prime ministers and parliamentary speaker-level officials — around the clock until the election results are confirmed.
The enhanced security is largely due to a recent series of unconfirmed threats against the candidates, with the Democratic Party requesting more security. The NPA on Friday said the police received reports of nine online threats against candidates, eight of which were against the Democratic Party candidate.
The other was against Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party.
One of the threats against the Democratic Party's Lee was handed over to the prosecution; the rest are currently under investigation.
Lee Jae-myung, who recent polls show to be a clear front-runner in the election, survived an assassination attempt by a 66-year-old man with far-right political inclinations on Jan. 2, 2024. A stab to his neck left him severely injured, but he has since made a full recovery.
Kim Moon-soo, the candidate for the conservative People Power Party, has purportedly requested minimal security.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Korean battery-makers push President Lee for direct subsidies
Korean firms seek bolder funding as Chinese rivals leverage robust government backing South Korean battery manufacturers are urging President Lee Jae-myung to act as they face slowing electric vehicle demand and intensifying competition from Chinese rivals increasingly dominating global markets. On May 31, three days before the presidential election, Lee wrote in a Facebook post, 'I will recharge the South Korean economy with K-batteries,' underscoring his belief that the battery industry is key to driving Korea's next economic leap. Lee's pledges included strengthening research and development to secure cutting-edge technologies such as all-solid-state batteries; introducing domestic production tax incentives; creating a "battery triangle belt" connecting the Chungcheong, Yeongnam, and Honam regions; increasing battery demand through energy storage systems; and nurturing the battery recycling industry. Calls for IRA-style subsidies While industry insiders are optimistic about the domestic tax incentives, they anticipate a more direct form of financial support from the government. Lee's tax benefit pledge offers tax breaks for companies producing and selling battery products in Korea, similar to the US Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. However, AMPC also includes options like 'cash refunds' and 'third-party transfers' in addition to tax benefits. 'If we could receive cash returns, we'd have more flexibility to expand investments in global markets — particularly in the US, where rising tariffs on automobiles and parts are already dragging down the EV market,' said an industry source on condition of anonymity. The source emphasized that additional support measures are needed, pointing out that unlike China, which offers subsidies from direct funding to state-led R&D programs, the Korean government has only granted corporate tax credits. Under the Act on Restriction on Special Cases Concerning Taxation, the battery industry is designated a national strategic technology, making it eligible for approximately 15 percent and 30 percent tax credits on facility investments and R&D, respectively. However, these credits apply only to companies that are generating taxable profits. In the first quarter, Korea's top three battery makers — LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and SK On — all reported operating losses, even when factoring in benefits from AMPC. As a result, they are likely ineligible for domestic tax breaks, despite having collectively borrowed 49.6 trillion won ($36.5 billion) for large-scale investments both at home and abroad. Chinese surge Experts suggest that even with the battery sector's strategic importance, direct subsidies from the Korean government remain unlikely. 'Korea has traditionally been wary of direct funding due to the associated risks and concerns over misusing taxpayer money,' said Kim De-jong, a business professor at Sejong University. 'In contrast, while China provides massive subsidies, it often gains substantial control over the company's management and operations.' Kim added that more feasible alternatives to direct subsidies could include offering discounted rates on electricity and water for domestic production facilities. Meanwhile, Chinese battery giants CATL and BYD have strengthened their grip on the global EV market. According to SNE Research, CATL and BYD held market shares of 38.1 percent and 17.3 percent, respectively, as of the latest period, up from the previous year. LG Energy Solution ranked third but saw its share fall from 12.3 percent to 10.2 percent. SK On and Samsung SDI also experienced declines, with market shares dropping to 4.3 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively.
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Lee likely to meet business leaders later this week ahead of G7 summit
President Lee Jae-myung is expected to meet with top business leaders and heads of major economic organizations later this week, ahead of his participation in the Group of Seven summit in Canada, industry sources said Monday. According to the sources, the presidential office is arranging the meeting for Thursday or Friday, with the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry coordinating final details on behalf of the business community. The gathering is expected to bring together the heads of South Korea's five major conglomerates -- Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman and KCCI Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chair Euisun Chung, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin. Other business leaders expected to attend include Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea Enterprises Federation, and Yoon Jin-sik, chairman of the Korea International Trade Association. The meeting appears to be aimed at reviewing both domestic and global economic conditions and gathering input from the business community on key pending issues ahead of Lee's participation in the G7 summit, scheduled for June 15-17 in Alberta, Canada. On his first day in office, Lee ordered the formation of an emergency economic task force, and was briefed on the current state of the local economy and the potential impact of a supplementary budget, underscoring his administration's focus on economic recovery as a top policy priority. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
7 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Who is Lee Jae-myung's pick for prime minister, Kim Min-seok?
Rep. Kim Min-seok, who was considered President Lee Jae-myung's "wingman" when they were in the Democratic Party of Korea leadership, has been nominated as his prime minister. As prime minister, Kim would steer Lee's Cabinet and serve as a key adviser. The position requires the National Assembly's confirmation. From as early as August 2024, Kim began raising alarms about former President Yoon Suk Yeol preparing to impose martial law. Kim had argued with conviction that Yoon was not only thinking about martial law, but taking concrete steps to go through with it. Kim was met by skepticism even within the Democratic Party, where a sizeable majority felt that the party was "taking things too far" with the martial law claims. Democratic Party lawmakers were seen distancing themselves from Kim's claims. When Yoon declared martial law on the night of Dec. 3, 2024, Kim's early warnings were revisited. Face of 'new pro-Lee' group Rep. Kim Min-seok, a former star politician who made a stunning return to the spotlight under Lee's Democratic Party, has been at the center of the new pro-Lee Jae-myung group. When Kim ran for a seat on the Democratic Party's supreme council last August, it soon became apparent that he was Lee's preferred choice to serve in the party's top decision-making body, a coveted and prestigious spot. Youngest lawmaker of his time to be elected Kim, the youngest in the batch of lawmakers elected in the 1996 general election, stepped into the limelight as soon as he entered politics. As a young politician, Kim served as chief secretary to former President Kim Dae-jung, when he was the leader of the Democratic Party. Jailed for occupying US-owned building in Seoul Kim was one of some 70 university students to occupy the US Cultural Center near the US Embassy in Seoul in May 1985 in an unarmed protest. Recalling the protest, Kim said in an interview with a local broadcaster in Gwangju on Oct. 12, 2024, that he was one of the first to raise suspicions that the US might have been behind the "massacre in Gwangju." Kim was referring to the series of pro-democracy protests in May 1980 in Gwangju against the then-government under Chun Doo-hwan, a military dictator. In the interview, Kim said that when he was the president of the student council at Seoul National University, he called for "uncovering the truths about the possible US intervention in the Gwangju massacre." "I said something on that scale (in Gwangju) would not have been possible without acquiescence from the US. That's what the US Cultural Center incident is about," Kim said. "It marked the first instance of getting what happened in Gwangju a recognition outside Korea." Kim served two years and eight months in jail for violating the laws on public demonstrations at the time. arin@
