Latest news with #KimMoon-soo
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First Post
9 hours ago
- Politics
- First Post
Youth unemployment: A decisive factor in the upcoming election in South Korea
With their economic future at stake, young South Koreans are becoming a decisive voting bloc in this snap election read more A man walks past banners showing South Korea's presidential candidates displayed along a wall ahead of the upcoming June 3 election in Seoul. AFP As South Korea heads into a pivotal presidential election on June 3, youth unemployment has emerged as one of the most pressing and divisive issues on the campaign trail, highlighting deep economic concerns and a widening social divide. The youth unemployment rate hit 5.9% in December 2024 and is projected to rise to 6.3% by mid-2025. While the numbers may seem moderate, they reveal deeper problems. The employment rate for South Koreans aged 15 to 29 fell to 44.8% in January 2025, with 218,000 jobs lost—the steepest drop in four years. Many of those who are employed work in ultra-short-term or unstable jobs, and nearly 30% of PhD holders under 30 remain jobless, signaling a mismatch between education and job market needs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Young voters could sway the outcome With their economic future at stake, young South Koreans are becoming a decisive voting bloc in this snap election. Each major candidate has taken a different approach: Lee Jae-myung (Democratic Party) promises to create new job opportunities through investments in artificial intelligence and Korea's cultural wave, including music and entertainment. Kim Moon-soo (People Power Party) has focused more on business-friendly policies and foreign relations, offering fewer direct solutions for youth unemployment. Lee Jun-seok (Reform Party) has gained traction among young male voters by vowing to abolish the gender ministry and address what he calls 'reverse discrimination' in the workplace. A sharp gender divide The youth vote is also deeply split by gender. Many young men back conservative candidates, voicing frustrations over mandatory military service and job competition. Meanwhile, young women are leaning toward progressive policies and gender equality, resisting what they see as growing misogyny in politics. This gender divide mirrors global patterns, where younger men are increasingly drawn to right-wing politics, while younger women align with progressive causes. Why aren't young people taking jobs? Despite the unemployment crisis, many young South Koreans are reluctant to work for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), citing lower wages, fewer benefits, and less social prestige. In 2024, only 30.9% of SME employees were in their 20s and 30s, a sharp drop from 47.7% in 2003. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Local governments step in In the absence of comprehensive national reforms, local governments are taking action: Busan allocated 75.2 billion won to job training and career support. Gwangju is connecting young job seekers with local employers and offering job-seeking allowances. Cheonan invested 2 billion won in youth employment programs. These efforts aim to improve job matching, provide training, and reduce the economic strain on young people. As voters head to the polls, youth unemployment remains one of the most urgent challenges—and could very well shape the direction of South Korea's future.
Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
South Korea: Election worker apprehended after allegedly casting vote on husband's behalf
Seoul: An election worker in South Korea was apprehended this week after allegedly casting an early vote for the June 3 presidential election on her husband's behalf, police said on Friday. The woman was identified as a contract employee for Seoul's Gangnam district office who was appointed by the National Election Commission (NEC) to help check voters' IDs during the two-day early voting on Thursday and Friday, according to Suseo Police Station. Police detained the woman without a warrant Thursday, about half an hour after they received a call that someone had voted twice at a polling station in Gangnam's Daechi 2-dong neighbourhood. She is being questioned on suspicion of casting a ballot using her husband's ID before casting her own ballot several hours later. The woman reportedly admitted to all charges but refused to disclose a motive. Both the Gangnam district office and the NEC said they have relieved her of her duties. The NEC also filed a complaint against the woman with the police while requesting an investigation into her husband's possible involvement. "A vote by proxy by an election worker who should strictly and fairly oversee the presidential election is a very serious election crime that brutally tramples on the people's trust in election administration," the commission said. The woman's ballots cannot be nullified as they have already been placed inside ballot boxes, a commission official said. The vote count will proceed normally. In light of this and other incidents, the conservative People Power Party (PPP) on Friday lambasted the poor management in early voting elections, demanding the chief of the election watchdog apologise, Yonhap news agency reported. Kim Moon-soo, the party's presidential candidate, denounced the NEC after meeting with reporters in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, saying the institution must "wake up" and undergo a "sweeping overhaul." "Why is the NEC still not fixing these problems, after going through many similar cases in the past, like the basket election incident?" he asked, referring to the controversy over the transportation of ballot papers from Covid-19 patients in plastic baskets during the early voting for the 2022 presidential election. Rep. Kim Yong-tae, the party's interim leader, also blamed the NEC for its inadequate election management while referring to a series of incidents that took place during the early voting. Voters reportedly went out to eat while carrying ballot papers in Sinchon, western Seoul, on Thursday. "We will review revising the Public Official Election Act to have election officials sign the early-voting ballot papers," Kim said. He also demanded a comprehensive inspection and overhaul of all early-voting sites, and said those responsible for the incidents must be duly reprimanded. "The Chairman of the NEC should stand before the people himself and sincerely apologise," Kim added. Rep. Shin Dong-uk, the PPP's spokesperson, said the liberal Democratic Party (DP) has not been sufficiently critical of the NEC. "The DP has collected a lot of votes in early voting and that party's silence is even more irresponsible (than the NEC's mishaps)," Shin said. "Is the DP the defender of a rigged election?" xd
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Election worker apprehended after allegedly casting vote on husband's behalf
An election worker was apprehended this week after allegedly casting an early vote for the June 3 presidential election on her husband's behalf, police said Friday. The woman was identified as a contract employee for Seoul's Gangnam district office who was appointed by the National Election Commission (NEC) to help check voters' IDs during the two-day early voting Thursday and Friday, according to Suseo Police Station. Police detained the woman without a warrant Thursday, about half an hour after they received a call that someone had voted twice at a polling station in Gangnam's Daechi 2-dong neighborhood. She is being questioned on suspicion of casting a ballot using her husband's ID before casting her own ballot several hours later. The woman reportedly admitted to all charges but refused to disclose a motive. Both the Gangnam district office and the NEC said they have relieved her of her duties. The NEC also filed a complaint against the woman with the police while requesting an investigation into her husband's possible involvement. "A vote by proxy by an election worker who should strictly and fairly oversee the presidential election is a very serious election crime that brutally tramples on the people's trust in election administration," the commission said. The woman's ballots cannot be nullified as they have already been placed inside ballot boxes, a commission official said. The vote count will proceed normally. In light of this and other incidents, the conservative People Power Party (PPP) on Friday lambasted the poor management in early voting elections, demanding the chief of the election watchdog apologize. Kim Moon-soo, the party's presidential candidate, denounced the NEC after meeting with reporters in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, saying the institution must "wake up" and undergo a "sweeping overhaul." "Why is the NEC still not fixing these problems, after going through many similar cases in the past, like the basket election incident?" he asked, referring to the controversy over the transportation of ballot papers from COVID-19 patients in plastic baskets during the early voting for the 2022 presidential election. Rep. Kim Yong-tae, the party's interim leader, also blamed the NEC for its inadequate election management while referring to a series of incidents that took place during the early voting. Voters reportedly went out to eat while carrying ballot papers in Sinchon, western Seoul, on Thursday. "We will review revising the Public Official Election Act to have election officials sign the early-voting ballot papers," Kim said. He also demanded a comprehensive inspection and overhaul of all early-voting sites, and said those responsible for the incidents must be duly reprimanded. "The chairman of the NEC should stand before the people himself and sincerely apologize," Kim added. Rep. Shin Dong-uk, the PPP's spokesperson, said the liberal Democratic Party (DP) has not been sufficiently critical of the NEC. "The DP has collected a lot of votes in early voting and that party's silence is even more irresponsible (than the NEC's mishaps)," Shin said. "Is the DP the defender of a rigged election?" (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Complaints filed against YouTubers for creating deepfakes of presidential candidates
The National Election Commission said Friday it had filed complaints against three YouTubers for creating and uploading deepfake content featuring presidential candidates. 'With the election nearing, (the NEC) reported three YouTube channel operators for posting audio, images and videos of presidential candidates, generated through artificial intelligence, with the purpose of either increasing or reducing their chances of winning,' the election authorities said in a press release. This is the first time the NEC has filed a complaint against individuals for creating and distributing deepfakes of presidential candidates since relevant regulations were enacted through an amendment to the Public Official Election Act in December 2023. The revised Public Official Election Act bans the creation, editing, distribution or posting of AI-generated audio, images or videos of unclear authenticity during the 90 days ahead of Election Day, which is Tuesday. Violating the law could result in up to seven years in prison or a fine ranging between 10 million won ($7,250) and 50 million won. According to the NEC, the three individuals are accused of 35 counts of posting images of a candidate behind bars in a prisoner's uniform, as well as creating and posting 10 videos on YouTube of an AI-generated female news anchor promoting a candidate's victory or defeat. The individuals are also accused of posting content and videos on their personal social media accounts conveying a negative image of a specific candidate using deepfake technology. The AI-generated materials were reportedly related to Democratic Party of Korea candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung and People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo, according to the NEC. 'With less than a week remaining until the 21st presidential election, we are focusing our efforts on cracking down on illegal activities occurring in cyberspace,' said the NEC. The presidential election is set for June 3. Early voting began on Thursday, with turnout reaching 27.17 percent of all eligible voters as of 1 p.m. on Friday.
The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
South Korea's conservative contender Kim Moon-soo emerges from Yoon's shadow
SEOUL: When his conservative party bowed to show remorse for ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol's disastrous martial law decree, Kim Moon-soo sat alone and resolute in symbolic non-apology. The moment catapulted the labour activist turned lawmaker to fame, which he now hopes to harness to become South Korea's next president. "He's essentially a presidential candidate that social media gave birth to," Jeongmin Kim, executive director at the Korea Risk Group, told AFP. Internet users dubbed him "stubborn Moon-soo" in approval of the move, which helped drive a small uptick in his beleaguered party's approval ratings. Yet the People Power Party (PPP) -- Yoon's former party -- itself was not always so keen on Kim Moon-soo's candidacy. In a high-profile bout of infighting, the PPP selected, then unselected, then again selected the ex-labour minister as its nominee. The vacillation was the latest turbulence to rock the party after Yoon's botched bid to suspend civilian rule in December. The impeached president became the second PPP leader to be stripped of office, after Park Geun-hye in 2017. On the campaign trail, Kim, 73, has sought to distance himself from the ousted president, who quit the PPP in mid-May. Around the same time, Kim offered his first apology "to the people suffering from the consequences of martial law". "Martial law has not only made the economy and domestic politics difficult but has also caused significant challenges in exports and diplomatic relations," he told local media. Korea Risk Group's Kim called the candidate a "chameleon-like politician capable of political survival". - Shift to the right - Born into a large family in North Gyeongsang province, about 300 kilometres (186 miles) from Seoul, Kim grew up in poverty after his father's co-signing of a loan plunged the family into debt. Kim was politically active by his final year of high school, when he was suspended for protesting military leader President Park Chung-hee's attempt to extend his rule. Kim attended South Korea's most prestigious university, but started working in factories while studying for his degree -- and organising labour unions. He was arrested twice in the 1980s, first on charges of violating the Anti-Communism Law, and later under the National Security Act. Kim spent more than two and a half years in prison, and wrote in his biography about enduring electrocution and water torture. He was pardoned in 1988 and was stunned to find the country thriving when he emerged from jail. "My prediction that South Korean capitalism would eventually fail proved wrong," wrote Kim in his biography, with the collapse of the Soviet Union also upending his world view and leading him to join the conservative party. In 1996, Kim was elected to parliament. He later served two terms as governor of Gyeonggi province, South Korea's most populous region. After being accused but not charged in an abuse of power scandal in 2011, Kim found his footing again among hard-right conservatives. His popularity with his party's hard line was bolstered by his attempt to revise history textbooks in ways seen as favourable to former colonial power Japan, plus a high-profile fine for attending a church service during the Covid-19 pandemic. He was appointed labour minister by Yoon in 2024 and was widely seen as part of the disgraced leader's inner circle. - 'Written a miracle' - Polls show Kim trailing by at least 10 percentage points behind the opposition leader Lee Jae-myung. Kim has also been unsuccessful in convincing third-place candidate Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party to merge forces, which would make the election competitive. With polls now banned until election day on June 3 "the question is to what extent can candidate Kim Moon-soo narrow the gap", said Heo Jin-jae, research director at Gallup Korea. "For the next remaining days, any remarks that offend public sentiment could cost the candidates votes," said Heo. Another key question is whether he can win over moderates. "The conservative base in South Korea is ideologically broad, and Kim Moon-soo's political character is quite distinct," Kang Joo-hyun, a professor at Sookmyung Women's University, told AFP. "Among moderates or pragmatists on the right, there's hesitation about whether they can fully back him," said Kang, adding there were "limits to how far his appeal stretches across the spectrum". In response to the sceptics, Kim recently recalled his last-minute victory in 1996, when he ran for parliament. "You didn't think I would become the (final) candidate, did you? Neither did I," Kim told reporters during his first day of campaigning. "But we have written a miracle." - AFP
