Latest news with #LeeJaeMyung
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
South Koreans rally for presidential hopefuls days before vote
Thousands of supporters of South Korea's two leading presidential candidates rallied on Saturday in Seoul, days before a vote triggered by the ex-leader's disastrous declaration of martial law. Tuesday's election caps months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon Suk Yeol's brief suspension of civilian rule in December, for which he was impeached and removed from office. All major polls have placed liberal Lee Jae-myung well ahead in the presidential race, with a recent Gallup survey showing 49 percent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate. Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) that Yoon left this month, trailed behind at 35 percent. Organisers from both camps told police they expected tens of thousands of supporters to rally in Seoul on Saturday. In Seocho, in the south of the capital, Lee supporters gathered holding signs condemning Yoon's "insurrection". "I believe the outcome of the presidential election is already decided," Lee Kyung-joon, a Lee supporter, told AFP. "I came to today's rally to help condemn the forces involved in the martial law attempt," he added, referring to ex-president Yoon's political allies. Yoon is currently on trial for insurrection, and Kwon Oh-hyeok, one of the organisers of Saturday's rally, said a Lee victory in the June 3 vote was crucial to holding him accountable. "Isn't the People Power Party's decision to run in the snap election -- triggered by Yoon's removal from office -- an insult and a betrayal of the people?" Kwon told rally participants. "Fellow citizens, we must win by a landslide to deliver the justice this moment demands." On the other side of town, in Gwanghwamun Square, conservatives -- including supporters of disgraced ex-leader Yoon -- filled the streets holding signs that read "Yoon Again" and "Early voting is invalid!" Yoon's martial law attempt, which he claimed was necessary to "root out" pro–North Korean, "anti-state" forces, emboldened a wave of extreme supporters including far-right YouTubers and radical religious figures. Many have spread unverified content online, including allegations of Chinese espionage and fraud within South Korea's electoral system. That sentiment was on full display at Saturday's rally, where protesters called for the dissolution of the National Election Commission over a series of mishaps during the two-day early voting period this week. "People believe the root of all these problems lies with the National Election Commission, and that it should be held accountable," conservative protester Rhee Kang-san told AFP. - Deepening polarisation - Both frontrunner Lee of the liberal Democratic Party and conservative challenger Kim have cast the race as a battle for the soul of the country. More than a third of those eligible cast their ballots in early voting on Thursday and Friday, according to the election commission. Overseas voting reached a record high, with nearly four-fifths of the 1.97 million eligible voters casting their ballots last week. Experts say that regardless of who wins, South Korea's polarisation is likely to deepen. If Lee wins, the conservatives "will do whatever it takes to undermine him and his government, whether their logic makes sense or not", political analyst Park Sang-byung told AFP. "Unless the PPP distances itself from Yoon's extremist base, it could turn to misinformation -- such as unfounded claims of election fraud -- to mobilise the right against Lee. That's a troubling prospect," he said. Whoever succeeds Yoon will also have to grapple with a worsening economic downturn, one of the world's lowest birth rates, the soaring cost of living and bellicose neighbour North Korea. He will also have to navigate a mounting superpower standoff between the United States, South Korea's traditional security guarantor, and China, its largest trade partner. cdl/oho/pst
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
South Koreans rally for presidential hopefuls days before vote
SEOUL: Thousands of supporters of South Korea's two leading presidential candidates rallied on Saturday in Seoul, days before a vote triggered by the ex-leader's disastrous declaration of martial law. Tuesday's election caps months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon Suk Yeol's brief suspension of civilian rule in December, for which he was impeached and removed from office. All major polls have placed liberal Lee Jae-myung well ahead in the presidential race, with a recent Gallup survey showing 49 percent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate. Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) that Yoon left this month, trailed behind at 35 percent. Organizers from both camps told police they expected tens of thousands of supporters to rally in Seoul on Saturday. In Seocho, in the south of the capital, Lee supporters gathered holding signs condemning Yoon's 'insurrection.' 'I believe the outcome of the presidential election is already decided,' Lee Kyung-joon, a Lee supporter, told AFP. 'I came to today's rally to help condemn the forces involved in the martial law attempt,' he added, referring to ex-president Yoon's political allies. Yoon is currently on trial for insurrection, and Kwon Oh-hyeok, one of the organizers of Saturday's rally, said a Lee victory in the June 3 vote was crucial to holding him accountable. 'Isn't the People Power Party's decision to run in the snap election — triggered by Yoon's removal from office — an insult and a betrayal of the people?' Kwon told rally participants. 'Fellow citizens, we must win by a landslide to deliver the justice this moment demands.' On the other side of town, in Gwanghwamun Square, conservatives — including supporters of disgraced ex-leader Yoon — filled the streets holding signs that read 'Yoon Again' and 'Early voting is invalid!' Yoon's martial law attempt, which he claimed was necessary to 'root out' pro-North Korean, 'anti-state' forces, emboldened a wave of extreme supporters including far-right YouTubers and radical religious figures. Many have spread unverified content online, including allegations of Chinese espionage and fraud within South Korea's electoral system. That sentiment was on full display at Saturday's rally, where protesters called for the dissolution of the National Election Commission over a series of mishaps during the two-day early voting period this week. 'People believe the root of all these problems lies with the National Election Commission, and that it should be held accountable,' conservative protester Rhee Kang-san told AFP. Both frontrunner Lee of the liberal Democratic Party and conservative challenger Kim have cast the race as a battle for the soul of the country. More than a third of those eligible cast their ballots in early voting on Thursday and Friday, according to the election commission. Overseas voting reached a record high, with nearly four-fifths of the 1.97 million eligible voters casting their ballots last week. Experts say that regardless of who wins, South Korea's polarization is likely to deepen. If Lee wins, the conservatives 'will do whatever it takes to undermine him and his government, whether their logic makes sense or not,' political analyst Park Sang-byung told AFP. 'Unless the PPP distances itself from Yoon's extremist base, it could turn to misinformation — such as unfounded claims of election fraud — to mobilize the right against Lee. That's a troubling prospect,' he said. Whoever succeeds Yoon will also have to grapple with a worsening economic downturn, one of the world's lowest birth rates, the soaring cost of living and bellicose neighbor North Korea. He will also have to navigate a mounting superpower standoff between the United States, South Korea's traditional security guarantor, and China, its largest trade partner.
Irish Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Lee Jae-myung: The man set to take over South Korea's turbulent democracy
The crowd outside Seoul Children's Grand Park was a few hundred strong, many of them holding blue balloons and some with flags on flexible poles about 10 metres tall. The mood was buoyant, principally because their Democratic Party candidate, Lee Jae-myung (61), was more than 10 points ahead in the polls. He is on course to win South Korea's presidential election next Tuesday. Warm-up speakers reminded supporters that early voting was under way (more than 20 per cent of eligible voters had cast their ballots by Friday morning) and led chants of the candidate's name. Then local politicians dressed in the blue-and-white campaign uniform joined younger activists in a K pop-style dance to welcome Lee onstage. READ MORE Lee, who survived an assassination attempt last year, campaigns in a bulletproof vest and he spoke from a lectern behind three protective screens with personal protection officers on either side of him. Narrowly defeated by Yoon Suk Yeol of the conservative People Power Party in 2022, Lee's second tilt at the South Korean presidency has come two years ahead of schedule following Yoon's impeachment in April over his declaration of martial law last December . 'I never imagined that martial law would be declared in broad daylight for no apparent reason. I couldn't believe it,' Lee told the crowd at Seoul Children's Grand Park. 'This country, which is one of the world's top 10 economic powers and even called a cultural powerhouse, so that people all over the world sing Korean pop songs, watch Korean dramas, eat Korean food, and want to visit Korea ... would anyone believe that such a country would have a coup and become a military dictatorship where soldiers run the country?' Yoon Suk Yeol, then South Korean president, makes a televised briefing on December 3rd in which he declares martial law. Photograph: Ahn Young-joon/AP Yoon, frustrated by what he saw as illegitimate obstructionism by the Democratic Party's majority in the National Assembly, declared martial law in a televised announcement at 10.30pm on December 3rd. He suspended all political activity, put the media under state control and deployed hundreds of armed troops to the legislature in an attempt to prevent it from meeting. Crowds gathered at the National Assembly building to stop the military from occupying it and helped legislators to climb over barriers to go inside. By 4.30am, they voted by 190 votes to zero to overturn the martial law declaration. Six hours after he made it, Yoon revoked it. The legislature voted to impeach Yoon on December 14th and he was arrested a month later for abuse of power, prompting a riot by his supporters. Last month, the constitutional court unanimously confirmed Yoon's impeachment, opening the way to next week's presidential election. Lee has dismissed the conservative People Power Party's candidate Kim Moon Soo as 'Yoon's avatar', warning that his victory could see a return of the former president and those around him. Political scientist Kim Woo Sang said: 'The impact is that the framing of this presidential election is the one the Democratic Party is making, that we have to do away with the so-called treacherous and treasonous forces, and that they are the democrats which will turn the country around.' Kim Moon Soo, centre, the candidate for South Korea's People Power Party, arrives to cast his ballot during early voting for the presidential election on Thursday. Photograph: Jung Yeon-je/Getty A former adviser to Kim Dae-jung, the Democratic Party's most successful president of South Korea, Kim Woo Sang also served as a member of the National Assembly. But he is suspicious of Lee, whom the conservative People Power Party accuse of having dictatorial tendencies. 'If he becomes a dictator, he will be a dictator because he already has the legislature doing his bidding, constitutional or not. They say that he can do no wrong,' he said. 'So if he becomes president, he will push through Bills as he sees fit. He's already been blackmailing and threatening the judiciary, which was the only leftover of the so-called free system.' Born into poverty in a remote mountain village, Lee skipped secondary school to work in a factory where an industrial accident caused a permanent injury to his arm at the age of 13. He went back to school later, winning a scholarship to university to study law and going on to work as a human rights lawyer. A former mayor of Seongnam, a city of one million people and governor of Gyeonggi province, Lee has faced investigations for corruption, bribery and conflicts of interest. Last November, he was convicted of making false statements during the 2022 presidential election campaign, but the conviction was overturned by the Seoul high court in March. The supreme court overturned that decision on May 1st, sending the case back to the high court. His Democratic Party has floated a proposal to expand the supreme court from 14 justices to 30 or even 100, including non-lawyers. Lee has played down the proposal during the campaign, but reforming the judiciary is among the proposals in his party's official platform published this week. The platform also includes proposals for democratic control over the president's right to declare martial law and plans to punish those who supported Yoon's actions last December. Although Yoon's invocation of martial law was a shock to South Korea's democracy, his fall from grace is part of a pattern. Since the introduction of democracy in the late 1980s, almost every president has ended up being impeached or jailed. 'To all intents and purposes, it's a democracy. But its democracy has a particular characteristic where the emphasis is on the rule by the people as opposed to the rule by the institutions,' said Michael Breen, the author of The New Koreans, who has lived in Seoul for more than 40 years. 'There's a word called minshim, which means public sentiment, but in the Korean meaning it's something more visceral. It's like a collective emotional feeling. What happened when democracy came is that authoritarianism went out of the window and moving into its place was this idea of the voice of the people.' Protesters take part in a demonstration last December in Seoul against Yoon Suk Yeol, then president. Photograph: Ezra Acayan/Getty As a former correspondent for British and American newspapers, Breen has watched the same pattern unfold during each South Korean presidency. The president can only serve one five-year term in office and each one starts with a high approval rating. 'Then it goes down, down, down. And by the end, their own party's candidate to succeed them doesn't want their support it because it's just poison, he said. 'And what we've had added into that mix of that pattern now is impeachment. So when the Democratic Party won a majority last year in the assembly, they interpreted that as a message from the people. Their stated objective was to get rid of Yoon, and then he obliged by being a jerk.' Despite his legal problems, Lee may be protected from the threat of impeachment by the majority his Democratic Party commands in the national assembly and the lack of legislative elections for the next three years. So he has a good chance of implementing the policies he has campaigned on, including on foreign affairs and relations with North Korea . Yoon took a hard line towards Pyongyang, downgrading the institutional framework that is supposed to be preparing for reunification and focusing instead on bolstering South Korea's defence. He drew close to the United States and, more controversially, Japan and adopted a more confrontational approach to China and Russia . A woman in Seoul walks past a banner showing Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, and Kim Moon Soo, the People Power Party's contender. Photograph: Anthony Wallace/Getty Lee has promised to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula by restoring communication lines with Pyongyang, although he has acknowledged there is no immediate prospect of dialogue. This is because North Korea has formally abandoned its aspiration for unification and declared South Korea its enemy. Lee made clear this week that one motivation for his wish to renew engagement with North Korea is to ensure that Seoul is not cut out of talks if Donald Trump revives his negotiations with Kim Jong Un . Trump met the North Korean leader during his first term in the White House and they exchanged numerous letters, but denuclearisation talks ended in failure. 'The North Korean denuclearisation process has long since stalled. The North's nuclear and missile capabilities are growing stronger every day. We can no longer stand idly by,' he said. 'North Korea policy should not be a political tool. We should only think about how to achieve peace and unification.' Lee has also advocated a reset of South Korea's relationships with China and Russia, along with other Brics countries, a prospect that causes unease in some European capitals. He defended his approach this week as a pragmatic response to a shifting geopolitical landscape. 'China is South Korea's important trading partner and a key influence on the security of the Korean Peninsula. I would stabilise the relationship between China, which has reached its lowest point under the previous administration,' he said. 'US-Russia relations and the war in Ukraine are entering a new phase. I would treat our relations with Russia from a national interest-first perspective, contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine and conduct pragmatic diplomacy for the security of Korea and our businesses.' Voters in Seoul queue to cast their ballots on Friday during early voting in the presidential election. Photograph: Anthony Wallace/Getty Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Korean goods, although he has postponed its implementation for 90 days along with his 'reciprocal tariffs' on other countries. Reports from Washington suggest that his administration is also considering cuts to the US military presence in South Korea and demanding that Seoul pays more to keep them there. 'I would say if Trump pulls troops out and raises the tariffs like that, I think public opinion towards the US will certainly not be good,' Kim said. 'And then if Lee Jae-myung is president, he will use that to oppose the US, reorient and grow closer to China and Russia. I think that's how it's going to work out.' Breen is more sanguine and although he has his doubts about Lee's commitment to real political reform that could limit his powers as president he believes fears about a shift in foreign policy are overblown. 'I think he's a pragmatist. He's talked about the importance of the American relationship and it's the most important relationship,' he said. 'He might make an effort towards China, but he'll have to be careful not to be embarrassed by them because they will want something more than he's able to give. 'I think every country is having this problem now because of where Trump is going with tariffs and stuff. You've got to be on the right side of that in a very pragmatic way.'
Al Arabiya
12 hours ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
South Koreans to rally for presidential hopefuls before vote
Supporters of South Korea's two leading presidential candidates were set to rally Saturday in Seoul, just days ahead of an election triggered by the former president's disastrous declaration of martial law. Tuesday's vote caps months of political upheaval sparked by Yoon Suk Yeol's brief suspension of civilian rule in December, which led to his impeachment and removal from office. Since then, the country has been led by a series of lame-duck acting presidents, even as its export-driven economy struggles with global trade turmoil and sluggish domestic demand. Both frontrunner Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party and conservative challenger Kim Moon-soo have framed the election as a fight for the nation's future. Organizers from both camps told police they expect tens of thousands of supporters to gather Saturday afternoon in central Gwanghwamun Square and the southern Seocho district. More than a third of eligible voters have already cast their ballots during early voting, according to the National Election Commission. Overseas turnout hit a record high, with nearly 80 percent of the 1.97 million eligible expatriate voters participating last week. All major polls show liberal Lee leading the race. A recent Gallup survey found 49 percent of respondents saw him as the best candidate, compared to 35 percent for Kim, who represents the ruling People Power Party — a party Yoon resigned from earlier this month. Lee, a lawyer-turned-politician, has vowed to prosecute those responsible for the martial law declaration and told supporters the election was a vote for 'revolution.' Kim, a former labor minister who gained notoriety for refusing to apologize for the attempt to suspend civilian rule, has promised to defend South Korea from 'extremist forces' seeking 'chaos.' Whoever succeeds Yoon will face a deepening economic downturn, one of the world's lowest birth rates, and a soaring cost of living. The next president will also have to navigate rising tensions between the United States — South Korea's traditional security ally — and China, its largest trading partner.
Japan Times
16 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Times
K-pop and breakdance power South Korea's high-stakes presidential race
In South Korea's high-stakes presidential campaign, K-pop isn't just a cultural backdrop — it's a political strategy. Both major parties are leaning on Korean pop hits to energize voters, blending choreography and catchy lyrics with political messaging. Among the favorites at campaign rallies: Kim Jong-kook's Lovable and Young Tak's Next Door Oppa, are now fixtures in events across the country. But unlike the last U.S. presidential election, where Kamala Harris secured endorsements from Beyonce and Taylor Swift, South Korean artists have shied away from direct campaigning, which risks alienating fans. The opposition Democratic Party has deployed a 48-member "Shouting Korea' team, which travels nationwide in mobile units designed to create festive, street-level rallies. Their goal is to produce crowd-friendly events using choreography and classic Korean pop songs before and after the party nominee Lee Jae-myung takes the stage. The conservative People Power Party has taken a similar approach, with candidate Kim Moon-soo's campaign team choosing retro hits like Lovable, over songs by current idols. "Kim's frequent use of heart gestures inspired us to highlight a 'lovable' image, playing on the song's message to enhance his public appeal,' Kim Dong-hwan, a PPP campaign official, said. South Koreans head to the polls Tuesday after six months of political turmoil, hoping a new leader can begin to heal a fractured nation. The snap vote comes after impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed by the Constitutional Court in April for his abrupt decision to declare martial law. Lee Jae-myung during an election campaign rally in Seoul on Thursday. | bloomberg The state of the economy and fighting U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs are among the hot topics for voters, according to recent opinion surveys. Lee had 49% support while Kim trailed with 36% in a survey of 1,005 people commissioned by local media News 1 and released this week. "This election follows a period of martial law and impeachment,' said Kim Dae-young, a Democratic Party official. "There were debates about including strong political messages, but we decided instead to build a space where people could gather naturally — through music, dance, and video.' The campaign's setlist draws heavily on late-1990s and early-2000s pop acts chosen for their energy and broad appeal. They include Koyote's Pure Love, from 1999, diva Uhm Jung-hwa's Festival from the same year. Professional dancer Yim Young-hwan, who was hired by the liberal party to join the campaign, has choreographed several of the performances. The dance routines are deliberately simple, with occasional flourishes to grab attention, and to make it easy for people to follow. "We wanted people to say, 'Wow,' when they saw us,' Yim said. Lyrics are often adapted to highlight the candidate's character or policy goals. And choosing older tracks instead of licensing new idol music from the big K-pop companies such as SM Entertainment and Hybe reduces costs, according to Kim, the PPP campaign official. Licensing fees per song could reach around 3 million won ($2,170) to tens of million won, depending on its popularity. While TV and radio still play a role, Kim noted that digital content now dominates political engagement. Candidate Kim has appeared on major YouTube shows and launched a dedicated channel featuring a 13-song playlist to court online audiences. Yet despite the digital pivot, the energy of in-person street performances still resonates with many voters. "When young people perform like this, it lifts the older generation's spirits,' said Lee Soo-young, a Seoul resident, who joined Lee's campaign.
