Latest news with #KimMoonsoo
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
S. Korea's presidential candidate Kim says open to discussing US troop cost
People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo speaks to the media after registering for the June 3 presidential vote in Gwacheon. (AP pic) SEOUL : South Korea's conservative presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo said on Monday he was willing to discuss sharing more of the cost of stationing the US military in the country, which US President Donald Trump has demanded over the years. Trump has indicated he wants to make the cost of basing tens of thousands of US troops in South Korea and in Japan a part of negotiations over import tariffs his government has announced against a host of countries, including Asian allies. South Korea and the US last agreed to a five-year plan in October to increase by 8.3% to 1.52 trillion won (US$1.09 billion) South Korea's share of the cost of maintaining the US military. Some 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea as part of efforts to deter nuclear-armed North Korea. South Korea began shouldering the costs of US deployments, used to fund local labour expenditure, the construction of military installations and other logistics support, in the early 1990s. 'People are nervous if President Trump says let's raise (South Korea's) share of the US military in South Korea, and I believe we can raise it to a certain degree,' Kim told a meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce Korea. It should be more of South Korea's concern to ensure the US military presence is well maintained in South Korea, he said. Kim is the candidate for the conservative People Power Party for the June 3 snap presidential election called after Yoon Suk-yeol was removed from office over a failed martial law attempt. South Korean officials have said the cost sharing plan is not up for review and should not be part of the ongoing discussions to address what Trump said was an unfair imbalance in trade and imposed reciprocal duties on Korean exports.
CNA
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Aespa's Karina apologises for Instagram post which appeared to signal her political affiliation
Karina of K-pop girl group Aespa has issued an apology over a now-deleted Instagram post which, according to South Korean netizens, had signalled her support for the conservative People Power Party (PPP) in the country's upcoming presidential election. On Tuesday (May 27), the 25-year-old uploaded a series of photos – some of which showed her wearing a black jacket with red stripes and the number 2. Both the colour red and the number 2 have been associated with South Korean presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo of the PPP, with red being the party's representative colour and Kim being the second listed candidate on the ballot. The caption of Karina's Instagram post also featured an emoji of a red rose; the upcoming election has been called a "rose election" in South Korea as it comes during a season when roses are in bloom. During election season, South Korean entertainment figures, including K-pop idols, are strongly advised by their agencies to avoid actions that could signal their political affiliations. These include wearing the representative colours of the various political parties and showing certain hand gestures, such as a thumbs-up or a peace sign, in public. Following the backlash surrounding her post, Karina took to the fan messaging app Bubble to apologise. She wrote: 'I'm really sorry for making Mys [Aespa's fans] worry. I had no such intention at all. But the misunderstanding kept growing and since you were so worried, I thought I should talk to you directly. From now on, I'll also try to be more attentive and act more carefully. I'm sorry once again for making you worry.' Karina's agency, SM Entertainment, has also issued a separate statement, apologising for Karina's actions. 'Karina merely shared something about her daily life on social media, with no other intention or purpose whatsoever,' wrote SM Entertainment. 'However, upon realising that the post could lead to misunderstandings, she promptly deleted it. We sincerely apologise for the unintended concern it may have caused. We will also be more mindful and put in greater effort to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. We hope that the artiste's intentions will no longer be distorted or consumed with a specific agenda. We will continue to do our utmost to protect Karina and all of our artistes.' Conversely, Karina has seen a rise in support from fans of the PPP, with many of them calling her a "goddess" in online communities. The jacket she wore, made by American brand Vaquera, has also sold out in numerous online stores.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
South Korea presidential hopeful Kim turned from activist to right-wing maverick
SEOUL, May 29 (Reuters) - South Korea's conservative presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo came to prominence as a maverick right-wing politician but it was only the latest metamorphosis in a life that saw him espouse liberal causes as a labour activist when he was younger. Now the nominee for the People Power Party (PPP) is putting himself forward as a moderate, aware that it is the centrist vote he needs to attract if he is to have a chance against liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung in the June 3 election. "I've done the left and I've done the right. To go from the left to the right, you have to pass the centre," Kim, 73, said when he declared his plan to run in April. "I have known people who struggle at the lowest level and I've known chaebol people," he said, referring to South Korea's family-owned conglomerates such as Samsung and Hyundai. "A person who understands and embraces the whole is the centrist." Unlike Lee, who is running in his second straight campaign for president, Kim will barely have two months for his shot at leading Asia's fourth-largest economy, having thrown his hat in the ring only after Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted for his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. If elected he will have to leverage his centrist position to bridge divisions in a country polarised by Yoon's martial law while managing burgeoning economic concerns and negotiating trade tariffs with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Kim is hardly a new face on the national stage. When South Korea was run by military strongmen, he was a charismatic leader in the labour movement at a time when workers were expected to sacrifice their rights for the sake of economic development. Shim Sang-jung, former leader of the Justice Party who had been part of a student labour movement in the 1980s, remembers Kim as a fighter who endured prison torture, refusing to disclose the whereabouts of fellow members who were on the run. "When we were comrades, Kim Moon-soo was a legend," Shim said. "He was the prince of the activist movement, a towering mentor." Born to a humble family in the country's rural south, Kim was a bright youngster who went on to enrol at the prestigious Seoul National University but was expelled for his involvement in activism and went to work in a factory for the purpose of setting up a union. After serving a two-year prison term over democracy protests, Kim joined fellow activists who believed the best way of trying to improve the lives of workers was to launch a progressive party in the hope of being accepted by the public. Repeated failure pushed him toward mainstream politics, starting with being elected to parliament in 1996 for what was a precursor to today's People Power Party as a member of a reform-minded faction in the conservative party. He served three terms, then two terms as governor of Gyeonggi province, the most populous region in the country that surrounds the capital, Seoul, where he honed his administrative drive and sharpened political instincts. Over a 10-year hiatus, Kim shifted increasingly to the right, clashing with the left and often critical of the country's labour unions for being complacent and corrupt, no longer viewing them as serving the public good in a country that had developed into an economic powerhouse. By the time then President Yoon tapped him as labour minister last year, Kim had come to be known as a hardliner who often opposed unions and spoke out against advancing women's and LGBTQ rights. When Yoon was impeached in December and then removed from office, Kim was one of the few politicians who openly opposed his ouster, saying the decision to declare military rule may have been ill-conceived but was not grounds to strip him of the presidency.
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Spouse risk takes centre stage in South Korea's presidential election soap opera
SEOUL, May 27 — The wife of South Korea's main conservative party candidate has taken a leading role ahead of next week's elections, campaigning on her own to tarnish the image of the liberal frontrunner and his spouse and turbocharge her husband's bid. Last week, Seol Nan-young even took her unusually vocal criticism onto Saturday Night Live Korea, joking about scandals dogging the wife of her husband's chief rival and promoting a clean family image for her spouse, conservative People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo. Kim is fighting an uphill battle to separate himself from former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was impeached and removed from office over a short-lived martial law attempt in December. Meanwhile, frontrunner Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party is far ahead in the polls but both he and his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, face criminal allegations. The charges are unlikely to derail Lee's candidacy but they have provided ample fodder for Seol to question his ethical standing. Seol has made Kim Hye-kyung, who was fined for misusing a government credit card to dine at a restaurant when her husband was a provincial governor, one of her main targets. Kim has denied the charges and appealed the ruling. 'I think this is an important election, whether you choose clean, honest, upright Kim Moon-soo or another candidate who is corrupt, and lies,' Seol said at a recent speaking engagement of about 400 supporters and female lawmakers who introduced her as someone who 'doesn't use corporate credit card'. 'Spouse risk' as it is called in Korean has become an election hot topic after a series of scandals, including one about Yoon's wife improperly accepting a Dior handbag that is considered a factor in the PPP's loss in the 2024 parliamentary elections. The impact on Yoon of controversies surrounding his wife was even considered a factor in his decision to declare martial law in December, experts say. On Tuesday Kim Moon-soo said if elected he would appoint a special inspector to examine claims of wrongdoing by members of the president's family, saying instead of public service and sacrifice, first ladies have become synonymous with expensive clothes, foreign trips, bags and necklaces. For Lee, a string of legal problems surrounding him and his wife have been amplified by his rivals and the PPP even called for a wives debate on ethics, which Lee's party has rejected. During her Saturday Night Live appearance, Seol was asked whether Lee's wife's corporate credit misuse was worse than Yoon's spouse accepting the luxury bag. She said using the card, tantamount to mishandling taxpayer money, was worse. Her appearance drew criticism from Lee's party, which warned her not to cross the line. Lee declined to comment when asked by reporters if his wife intends to break her silence and campaign like Seol, jokingly saying 'I don't know much about what my wife is doing'. The attacks on Kim Hye-kyung could prevent Lee's ratings from rising ahead of the June 3 polls, said Lee Jun-han, a political science professor at Incheon National University. 'In Korean politics, spouses and their influences are big, in many cases in a negative way,' he said. 'Kim's wife is trying to be a dark horse and strategically showing she is different from Lee's wife.' — Reuters
Reuters
5 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Candidate spouses take centre stage in South Korea's heated presidential race
SEOUL, May 27 (Reuters) - The wife of South Korea's main conservative party candidate has taken a leading role ahead of next week's elections, campaigning on her own to tarnish the image of the liberal frontrunner and his spouse and turbocharge her husband's bid. Last week, Seol Nan-young even took her unusually vocal criticism onto Saturday Night Live Korea, joking about scandals dogging the wife of her husband's chief rival and promoting a clean family image for her spouse, conservative People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo. Kim is fighting an uphill battle to separate himself from former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached and removed from office over a short-lived martial law attempt in December. Meanwhile, frontrunner Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party is far ahead in the polls but both he and his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, face criminal allegations. The charges are unlikely to derail Lee's candidacy but they have provided ample fodder for Seol to question his ethical standing. Seol has made Kim Hye-kyung, who was fined for misusing a government credit card to dine at a restaurant when her husband was a provincial governor, one of her main targets. Kim has denied the charges and appealed the ruling. "I think this is an important election, whether you choose clean, honest, upright Kim Moon-soo or another candidate who is corrupt, and lies," Seol said at a recent speaking engagement of about 400 supporters and female lawmakers who introduced her as someone who "doesn't use corporate credit card". "Spouse risk" as it is called in Korean has become an election hot topic after a series of scandals, including one about Yoon's wife improperly accepting a Dior handbag that is considered a factor in the PPP's loss in the 2024 parliamentary elections. The impact on Yoon of controversies surrounding his wife was even considered a factor in his decision to declare martial law in December, experts say. On Tuesday Kim Moon-soo said if elected he would appoint a special inspector to examine claims of wrongdoing by members of the president's family, saying instead of public service and sacrifice, first ladies have become synonymous with expensive clothes, foreign trips, bags and necklaces. For Lee, a string of legal problems surrounding him and his wife have been amplified by his rivals and the PPP even called for a wives debate on ethics, which Lee's party has rejected. During her Saturday Night Live appearance, Seol was asked whether Lee's wife's corporate credit misuse was worse than Yoon's spouse accepting the luxury bag. She said using the card, tantamount to mishandling taxpayer money, was worse. Her appearance drew criticism from Lee's party, which warned her not to cross the line. Lee declined to comment when asked by reporters if his wife intends to break her silence and campaign like Seol, jokingly saying "I don't know much about what my wife is doing". The attacks on Kim Hye-kyung could prevent Lee's ratings from rising ahead of the June 3 polls, said Lee Jun-han, a political science professor at Incheon National University. "In Korean politics, spouses and their influences are big, in many cases in a negative way," he said. "Kim's wife is trying to be a dark horse and strategically showing she is different from Lee's wife." ($1 = 1,362.3100 won)
