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Asia Times
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Asia Times
Letter from Seoul: This isn't just another election
Sometimes when momentous things happen in a country, most people don't notice. That's normal. People focus on their lives – jobs, family, finances, and the like. I've been in Seoul, South Korea, for about a week, having been asked to come and see what's going on with the upcoming presidential election. You wouldn't know that an election that might determine South Korea's future is underway. The election was called three months ago after conservative president Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment. He'd declared martial law out of frustration over the leftist-dominated National Assembly using its immense power to make governing impossible. Yoon called it a 'legislative dictatorship.' So now it's a race between Lee Jae-myung from the leftist Democratic Party of Korea (DP) and Kim Moon-soo – of the generally conservative People Power Party (PPP). The DPK contains some hard-core radicals who want to align with the People's Republic of China and North Korea and even end the US-ROK alliance. Lee himself has called the US forces 'occupiers' – and is charged with involvement in sending $8 million to North Korea when he was governor of Gyeonggi Province. One of his lieutenants has already been convicted. Kim – a former labor activist is pro-US alliance. And he has no illusions about or love for South Korean leftists – having once been one of them – or the Chinese communists and North Korea. But there is another conservative candidate running. Lee Jun-seok of the small New Reform Party will siphon off votes from Kim. Polls, not always reliable, put the DPK in the lead. We will know soon enough. Two days of early voting are finished and election day is June 3d. A Kim victory would be better for the US-ROK alliance, although the DP-dominated National Assembly would still make life miserable for a conservative president. If Lee Jae-myung prevails, things could be very different. The leftists will have nearly every lever of power in South Korea. They just need the presidency. They already have the National Assembly (189 seats of 300), much of the judiciary and the police, the media, academia, labor unions and the all-powerful National Election Commission (NEC). Big business has been under attack, and even the ROK military has been put on notice. South Korean leftists have long wanted total and permanent control. But it started in earnest around 2017 when leftist, Moon Jae-in was elected president following the controversial removal of conservative president Park Chung-hee If Lee wins, he won't sever the US alliance or nestle up to the PRC and North Korea right away. US officialdom will tell itself the leftists are pragmatists and won't end the good thing they have with the United States. But bit by bit the US-ROK relationship will grow colder. Seoul's relationships with Beijing and Pyongyang will warm up. Ties with Japan – improved under President Yoon – will enter the walk-in freezer. The National Assembly and the leftist president will do whatever they want – and nobody can stop them. South Korea will effectively be a one-party state. Future elections won't matter. The National Election Commission will see to that. It has been stonewalling widespread and detailed citizen-produced evidence of electoral irregularities starting with the 2020 National Assembly election – which gave the DP a solid majority for the first time. Similar evidence was produced after the 2022 presidential election and the 2024 National Assembly election. Mention election integrit, however, and South Koreans can find the police at their doorstep and charges leveled. Being ridiculed as a conspiracy theorist is a given. But consider the fact that the NEC declared its system was unhackable – when citizens demanded transparency. Yet in 2023 the North Korean Lazarus Group repeatedly hacked the NEC network. Public outcry allowed the National Intelligence Service (not yet entirely under leftist domination) to run penetration tests. NIS ran wild and reported how the electoral system can be electronically manipulated. I came to Korea in 2020 to investigate allegations of rigging at the request of concerned citizens. I expected to find nothing much. In short order, it was obvious there were problems. Nothing has changed. It's still a system ripe for and apparently rife with manipulation. And authorities will not examine the evidence. Some South Koreans are trying to ensure honest elections. But they are beleaguered. They would sorely appreciate a kind word from President Trump. But the Trump administration stands by mute, with eyes primly averted. It declares the relationship 'rock solid' and 'forged in blood? And 'who are we to meddle in another country's politics?' But rather than electoral interference it would be providing oxygen to people who want to be free and are under pressure. There's nothing wrong with speaking up for consensual government, and civil liberties – and for your friends. And it puts the bad guys on notice. If they think America doesn't care or won't do anything at all they'll smother the opposition. Recall support for dissidents in Russia and Poland and elsewhere in the Cold War? It mattered. The US stayed quiet when Hugo Chavez came along in Venezuela in the early 1990's. The honest people just wanted something suggesting USA gave two hoots. They got nothing. And Venezuela is now in the China / Cuba camp. At least one big problem still remains for the leftists who see their goal in sight. That is the fact that most South Koreans don't want to be like China or North Korea – and support for the US alliance is strong, even among more than a few Democratic Party voters. And Koreans can be mercurial. They may not quietly go along with what South Korea's hard-core radicals have in mind. So this isn't just another election. If Washington hasn't paid proper attention to South Korea yet, it will have no choice but to do so before long.
Korea Herald
21 hours ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
While Kim courts capital, Lee campaigns in industrial Southeast
With just two days to go to the presidential election, the three leading candidates on Sunday hurtled through rival strongholds and their own home turfs alike to lure undecided voters. Democratic Party of Korea candidate and front-runner Lee Jae-myung revisited the conservative strongholds of Daegu and the wider Gyeongsang region, a day after former President Park Geun-hye made an appearance to lend her support to the People Power Party's Kim Moon-soo. Despite a long history as the conservative stronghold, several recent opinion polls have showed a relatively narrow gap between support from voters in the area for Lee and People Power Party candidate Kim, compared to previous elections. Lee began in Andong, his hometown and the capital city of North Gyeongsang Province, vowing to be 'a president for everyone,' at a rally held in the morning. 'If you give me the opportunity, I won't become a 'half president' that divides the country by relying on one side and oppressing another, but rather a president for everyone that brings all people to one,' he said. Lee stopped by Daegu around noon, where he stressed that the upcoming election would be a "judgment for the forces of insurrection,' taking a jab at former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed Dec. 3 martial law and the faction within the People Power Party that supported him. Lee stopped by Ulsan hours later. He was set to wrap up his itinerary for the day in Busan, according to campaign staff. The last stop of his campaign trail, scheduled for Monday, is expected to be Seoul's financial and political hub of Yeouido, sources close to the matter said. In a separate Facebook post Sunday, Lee expanded on earlier pledges to revitalize regional economies of major cities in the Gyeongsang region, including the port cities of Busan and Ulsan, vowing to establish a state-run investment bank focused on funding local development projects. 'I plan to pursue the establishment of the 'East-South Investment Bank' for the recovery of competitiveness of the Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang region and lead their sustainable growth,' Lee said via Facebook. Lee has said he plans to swiftly transform Busan into a strategic gateway for emerging Arctic maritime trade. Kim, meanwhile, made several stops in the Greater Seoul area, including Gyeonggi Province, where he served as governor from 2006 to 2014. He appeared at a rally in Suwon, where he ramped up his criticism of Lee — who was also governor of the province from 2018-21 — and reiterated his apology for Yoon's martial law. 'Only your vote can make South Korea upright and create a just democracy,' Kim told the crowd gathered at his rally. 'If someone who is bound to go to prison becomes the president of this country, then this country will merely become a bundle of crimes,' he added. Lee faces five ongoing criminal trials on 12 charges, including subornation of perjury and election law violations. Regarding the Dec. 3 martial law bid, he said that Yoon's move affected the country 'with several hardships' and he and the People Power Party 'reflect on it deeply.' In the afternoon, Kim appeared near Coex in Gangnam-gu, where he said South Korea's possibility of being ruled by a "monstrous dictatorship" under Lee was a "bigger problem" than Yoon's martial law bid. "South Korea's democracy is at a crisis," he said. "Martial law is problematic, but the bigger problem is the concerns that (our country) could head towards a monstrous dictatorship." Kim's remarks come as the former labor minister has struggled to the narrow the gap with Lee in opinion polls. In the latest Realmeter survey released Wednesday, Lee was leading with 49.2 percent, with Kim trailing behind with 36.8 percent. Candidate Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party came at No.3 with 10.3 percent. The survey involved 1,003 respondents aged 18 or older. To support Kim, independent conservative candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn dropped out of the presidential race Sunday afternoon. "We must muster all of our remaining powers (to win against Lee), so I will help Lee and support what he does," Hwang said in an interview with a YouTube channel. Kim was to stop by parts of Gyeonggi Province, including Guri and Uijeongbu, before rallying in areas of northern Seoul. His last campaign stop is expected to be the City Hall in central Seoul on Monday, according to campaign staff. Meanwhile, Lee Jun-seok of the minor conservative New Reform Party campaigned at Dongtan Lake Park in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. He pledged to cater to voters in their 30s and 40s — the average age of residents in Dongtan — by listening to their opinions.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Presidential candidates make final push in Daegu, Seoul, Dongtan
With just two days to go to the presidential election, the three leading candidates on Sunday hurtled through rival strongholds and their own home turfs alike to lure undecided voters. Democratic Party of Korea candidate and front-runner Lee Jae-myung revisited the conservative strongholds of Daegu and the wider Gyeongsang region, a day after former President Park Geun-hye made an appearance to lend her support to the People Power Party's Kim Moon-soo. Despite a long history as the conservative stronghold, several recent opinion polls have showed a relatively narrow gap between support from voters in the area for Lee and People Power Party candidate Kim, compared to previous elections. Lee began in Andong, his hometown and the capital city of North Gyeongsang Province, vowing to be 'a president for everyone,' at a rally held in the morning. 'If you give me the opportunity, I won't become a 'half president' that divides the country by relying on one side and oppressing another, but rather a president for everyone that brings all people to one,' he said. Lee stopped by Daegu around noon, where he stressed that the upcoming election would be a "judgment for the forces of insurrection,' taking a jab at former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed Dec. 3 martial law and the faction within the People Power Party that supported him. Lee was to later visit Ulsan and wrap up his itinerary for the day in Busan, according to campaign staff. The last stop of his campaign trail, scheduled for Monday, is expected to be Seoul's financial and political hub of Yeouido, sources close to the matter said. In a separate Facebook post on Sunday, Lee expanded on earlier pledges to revitalize regional economies of major cities in the Gyeongsang region, including the port cities of Busan and Ulsan, vowing to establish a state-run investment bank focused on funding local development projects. 'I plan to pursue the establishment of the 'East-South Investment Bank' for the recovery of competitiveness of the Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang region and lead their sustainable growth,' Lee said via Facebook. Lee has said he plans to swiftly transform Busan into a strategic gateway for emerging Arctic maritime trade. Kim, meanwhile, made several stops in the Greater Seoul area, including Gyeonggi Province, where he served as governor from 2006 to 2014. He appeared at a rally in Suwon, where he ramped up his criticism of Lee — who was also governor of the province from 2018-21 — and reiterated his apology for Yoon's martial law. 'Only your vote can make South Korea upright and create a just democracy,' Kim told the crowd gathered at his rally. 'If someone who is bound to go to prison becomes the president of this country, then this country will merely become a bundle of crimes,' he added. Lee faces five ongoing criminal trials on 12 charges, including subornation of perjury and election law violations. Regarding the Dec. 3 martial law bid, he said that Yoon's move affected the country 'with several hardships' and he and the People Power Party 'reflect on it deeply.' In the afternoon, Kim was to stop by other parts of Gyeonggi Province, including Guri and Uijeongbu, before rallying in areas of northern Seoul. His last campaign stop is expected to be the City Hall in central Seoul on Monday, according to campaign staff. Meanwhile, Lee Jun-seok of the minor conservative New Reform Party campaigned at Dongtan Lake Park in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. He was scheduled to hold a rally at Seoul Station in the evening.
![[From the Scene] Lee Jae-myung rallies in key swing cities in countdown to election](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F06%2F01%2Fnews-p.v1.20250601.4b74312a617549c58779c37e359d4d5d_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
[From the Scene] Lee Jae-myung rallies in key swing cities in countdown to election
CHEONGJU & DAEJEON, North Chungcheong Province -- Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, sought to win over voters in the battleground cities of Cheongju and Daejeon in North Chungcheong Province on Saturday, with just three days left until Election Day. In the past eight presidential elections since 1987, North Chungcheong Province, dubbed the barometer province, has accurately picked the winner. The last election was no exception. In 2022, the People Power Party's then-candidate Yoon Suk Yeol earned 50.7 percent of the vote in North Chungcheong Province compared to Lee's 45.1 percent. Yoon won the election 48.6 percent to 47.8 percent overall. Speaking to a large crowd of supporters gathered in a square outside Daejeon City Hall, Lee said, "They say if you win Chungcheong, you win South Korea ... So it's all in your hands," he said. Rallying for the second day in the province just south of Greater Seoul, Lee said he would make areas outside the capital region wealthier. He said the stark contrast between Seoul and the rest of the country showed how wealth was unevenly distributed. Lee then vowed to "end the privilege of the few." "Isn't it time our country does away with privilege, (a situation) where only the select few live with special privileges? Isn't it time we have a country where everyone has equal opportunities?" he said, as the crowd erupted into cheers. Lee cast himself as a "survivor." "For a long time, I've been attacked, prosecuted and trampled on. But I've survived it all. Through the power of the people, I've dodged the sword and the pen," Lee said. Once again, Lee blamed the Yoon administration for his legal troubles, accusing the former president of having prosecutors wrongfully charge and indict him. "I've been indicted without any evidence," Lee claimed. "This only shows how scared they are of Lee Jae-myung. Do you know why? Because Lee Jae-myung stands for the masses, not the elite, for small businesses, not large corporations. I stand for you," Lee said. Lee has five ongoing criminal trials that are set to continue, even if he is elected president. Last month, the Democratic Party proposed a revision to the Criminal Procedure Act that would suspend criminal trials for a sitting president. Asking the audience for their votes, Lee said if he wins, he will "build back South Korea into an entirely new country" and "drain the country of the Yoon cronies and insurrectionists." The final polls, conducted May 22-23 on 1,000 voters in the province, point to a Lee victory. Lee was ahead of his main rival Kim Moon-soo by 7 percentage points, 45 percent to 38 percent, a gap outside the margin of error. The two-day period of early voting ended Friday with 34.7 percent of eligible voters having cast their ballots.
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Millions flock to vote early; record-high turnout expected
Two days of early voting for South Korea's next president kicked off, as millions of people — along with the presidential candidates themselves — cast their votes Thursday, with advance voting turnout numbers projected to be higher than in any previous election. According to the National Election Commission, voter turnout on the first day of voting came to 19.68 percent Thursday, with 3,568 polling stations having opened nationwide at 6 a.m. and closed at 6 p.m. Thursday. It was the highest first-day figure out of all elections since South Korea's introduction of early voting for presidential elections in 2014. This means about 8.69 million people out of 44.4 million eligible voters nationwide chose to go to a polling station on the first day of early voting, instead of Election Day on Tuesday next week. By region, the southwestern region of the North and South Jeolla provinces and Gwangju — the main liberal stronghold — showed the highest turnout. Early voting turnout for the last presidential election in 2022 amounted to 36.9 percent, up by more than 10 percentage points from the 2017 election. Politicians, including presidential candidates, took part in early voting Thursday and encouraged others to cast their votes as well. The Democratic Party of Korea's Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the clear front-runner in the race, cast his vote Thursday in the Sinchon-dong neighborhood of Seodaemun-gu, western Seoul. Lee voted alongside voters in their early 20s, according to the main liberal party. Lee's wife Kim Hye-kyung did not accompany him, as she voted separately in Busan. Lee, 60, who has polled far ahead of the five other candidates, expressed the hope that the June election could make South Korea "return to the era of the young generation," while emphasizing people's participation in voting could help "overcome the crisis due to an insurrection," as he met with reporters after voting. Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the major conservative People Power Party, went to the polling station with his daughter in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon — the constituency of his main rival, Rep. Lee Jae-myung. After voting, Kim, 73, expressed confidence in a come-from-behind victory, despite significantly lagging Lee in polls throughout the campaigning period. Rep. Lee Jun-seok of the minor conservative New Reform Party visited his home turf of the Dongtan neighborhood, a residential area in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. He represents the Hwaseong-B constituency, which he won in a surprise upset that defied the polls in the 2024 general election. Lee, 40, said he envisioned a "generational transition" in South Korean politics. Kwon Young-gook, 61, the candidate of the progressive Democratic Labor Party, voted in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. There he raised concerns about the climate crisis and called for a broad shift to low-carbon production. Yeosu is home to an industrial complex dedicated to petrochemicals and steel. Alongside the top four presidential candidates, acting President and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho also went to a polling station in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Thursday morning. Lee has served as the acting president since May 2. Those ahead of Lee in the line of presidential succession, former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, resigned amid the ongoing political crisis after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was formally ousted in April for his brief imposition of martial law in December. Also joining the wave of early in-person voting were former Presidents Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye. Casting his vote with his wife in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Moon told reporters that people "should remember why the early election came into being," adding they must hold his successor Yoon accountable for "failure in handling state affairs and his acts of insurrection." Moon was the liberal leader of the country from 2017 to 2022 Park, who was also impeached and removed in 2017 due to a broad corruption scandal, cast her vote in Daegu near her residence. Park urged more people to vote as she met with reporters, downplaying concerns of election rigging in early voting. However, she declined to comment on the conservative candidates' failure to unite ahead of the election. Voting in the June 3 election kicked off with overseas voting earlier in May, as election authorities' preliminary data showed that eligible turnout approached 80 percent, with 205,268 people having already voted overseas. For the 2022 election, total voter turnout amounted to 77.1 percent.
