Latest news with #Moon-soo
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Millions vote in presidential poll
THE nation's citizens turned out in force to vote in the presidential election, as millions of people sought to restore stability after six months of turmoil triggered by a shock martial law briefly imposed by former leader Yoon Suk-yeol. The new president will face the challenge of rallying a society deeply scarred by the attempt at military rule and an export-heavy economy reeling from unpredictable protectionist moves by the United States, a major trading partner and a security ally. As of 3pm, 30.5 million people, or nearly 69% of the electorate, had voted at 14,295 locations, according to the National Election Commission, with car dealerships, gyms and fields for traditional Korean wrestling known as 'ssireum' turned into polling stations. 'I hope the issues surrounding martial law are addressed more clearly and transparently,' said 40-year-old Seoul resident Kim Yong-hyun. 'There are still many things that don't make sense, and I'd like to see them properly resolved.' Turnout in the snap election was running slightly ahead of the 2022 presidential vote at the same time, with polls set to remain open until 8pm and following early voting when more than a third of the 44.39 million eligible voters cast their ballots. 'Only six golden hours are left to save South Korea which is in crisis due to the greed of the establishment,' liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung said as he urged people to vote in a Facebook post. Both Lee and his conservative rival Kim Moon-soo have pledged change for the country, saying a political system and economic model set up during its rise as a budding democracy and industrial power are no longer fit for purpose. People waiting in line to cast their votes. — Reuters/AP Their proposals for investment in innovation and technology often overlap, but Lee advocates more equity and help for mid-to low-income families while Moon-soo has campaigned on giving businesses more freedom from regulations and labour strife. Overshadowing any social policy initiatives, however, is Yoon's botched attempt to impose martial law that has loomed large over the poll. Lee has called the election 'judgment day' against Moon-soo and his People Power Party, accusing them of having condoned the martial law attempt by not fighting harder to thwart it and even trying to save Yoon's presidency. Moon-soo was Yoon's labour minister when the former president declared martial law on Dec 3. The conservative Moon-soo, on the other hand, has branded Lee a 'dictator' and his Democratic Party a 'monster', warning if the former human rights lawyer becomes president, nothing will stop them from working together to amend laws simply because they do not like them. 'I and the People Power Party will do our best to save people's livelihoods and the economy,' Moon-soo said in a Facebook post. The frontrunner Lee and his rival Moon-soo cast their ballots during early voting last week. Yoon and his wife voted at a school near their private residence yesterday, appearing relaxed but ignoring questions as they left the polling station. Regular voters in Seoul urged the next leader to ease discord, restore stability and address urgent challenges from the fallout of the crisis that has touched their families. 'The economy has gotten so much worse since Dec 3, not just for me but I hear that from everybody,' Kim Kwang-ma, 81, said. 'And we as a people have become so polarised... and I wish we could come together so that Korea can develop again.' An elderly woman entering a booth at a polling station. — Reuters/AP Lee is favoured to win, according to polls released a week before the vote, leading Moon-soo by 14 percentage points with 49% public support in a Gallup Korea survey, although Moon-soo had narrowed an even wider gap at the start of the campaign on May 12. Exit polls conducted by three television networks will be released at the close of the polls at 8pm. Ballots will be sorted and counted by machine first, then triple-checked by election officials by hand to verify accuracy. It was not clear when the result would emerge. In 2022, Lee conceded to Yoon at around 3am the day after the vote in the closest presidential race in the country's history, which was decided by a margin of less than one percentage point. The National Election Commission is scheduled to certify the result today and the winner's inauguration is expected within hours. There will be no presidential transition as the office has remained vacant since Yoon was impeached by parliament and then removed by the Constitutional Court on April 4. — Reuters
Express Tribune
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
aespa's Karina comes under fire for controversial Instagram post amid Korean election season
Karina, member of K-pop girl group aespa, has faced public criticism after posting a photo during South Korea's sensitive election season. On May 27, she uploaded an image to Instagram featuring a black jacket with red detailing and the number 2, along with a red rose emoji. Though the photo was soon deleted, it sparked immediate backlash online. Photo: Instagram Social media users accused Karina of subtly endorsing a political candidate, with phrases such as 'No. 2 voter Karina' and 'conservative Karina' trending. In the current election,Kim Moon-soo, the candidate of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) uses red and holds ballot position number 2. During election periods, K-pop idols are urged to follow an unspoken 'no colour, no gesture' rule. This includes avoiding party colours—red, blue, yellow, and green—and refraining from hand gestures like the peace sign or thumbs-up, which may be construed as symbolic support. In response to the incident, SM Entertainment released a formal statement, denying any political intent and stating that the post was 'simply shared from daily life.' This is SM Entertainment. We apologize for causing concern due to our artist Karina's recent post. Karina simply shared something from her daily life on social media, with absolutely no other intention or purpose. Once she realized that the post could be misunderstood, she immediately deleted it. We sincerely apologize for any distress this may have caused unintentionally. Our agency will also be more careful and make greater efforts to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. We hope that our artist's intentions will no longer be misrepresented or consumed with a particular agenda, and we will do our utmost to protect Karina and all of our artists. Thank you. Karina also issued a personal apology via the fan platform Bubble, writing, 'I'm really sorry for making Mys worry… I'll also try to be more attentive and act more carefully.' Photo: X
Gulf News
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf News
K-Drama Rewind, Rain or Shine: Lee Jun-ho and Won Jin-ah shine in brutal tale of silent grief and survivors guilt
Trauma doesn't heal with a band-aid. The bleeding doesn't stop—not right away. Sometimes, you have to rip it off, let the wounds gush freely, and begin the messy business of cleaning them out. If you're lucky, what's left is a scar—a tender one that twinges when you least expect it. That's the idea behind Rain or Shine, starring Lee Jun-ho and Won Jin-ah. A story entrenched in guilt and the aftermath of one life-changing incident, the show holds up a mirror of what grief can look like—repulsive, disturbing and sickening— and yet, you can't look away. There's nothing romantic and poetic about loss, as the storytelling shows. It isn't loud, blaring and melodramatic either, which compounds the uneasiness tenfold. The themes are so heavy and yet silent, that it takes time to watch the show. Pace it out, if you will. Rain or Shine revolves around revolves around Jun-ho's Gang Doo and Moon-soo, who are the survivors in a building collapse that occurred 10 years ago. 48 people were killed and several others killed. It's the kind of tragedy that headlines briefly, then fades from public memory—a familiar disaster in a world all too used to them. But Rain or Shine narrows in on the aftermath, showing how even a 'small' incident reverberates for years in the lives of those left behind. Gang Doo still has injuries and remembers each and every vivid detail of the collapse, while Moon-soo has blocked out the memories owing to her guilt, and the numbing loss of her younger sister. She needs to take care of her mother, who is still waist-deep in grief. Gang Goo and Moon-soo cross paths as they begin work on a construction project, and a love story slowly begins to form between them. The exhaustion of years spent carrying guilt softens, just slightly, when they're around each other. Yet, trauma has this vicious way of rearing its ugly head, especially for Moon-soo, as she starts remembering more details from the incident, which is deeply tied to Gang Doo. In one of the most painful episodes of the series, she tries to leave his house quickly after an uneasy discovery, and he, confused, tries to hold her back. It's possibly one of Jun-ho's best performances, as his expression ranges from confusion to fear. 'You're being strange. Please don't go,' he says, before confessing his love to her immediately. The love confession is uttered quietly, without any background music at all—almost making you squirm in the seat. You want to look away; this seems too private. This feeling increases exponentially in another scene, where he later begs her to open the door. Nevertheless, the two characters do heal as gingerly as people can with such wounds and the show, does end on a quiet, reflective note. Storytelling and visceral themes aside, it's the acting that just makes this show so incredibly piercing. While Jun-ho is brilliant as he plays a man trying to cobble a life together, Won Jin-ah brings a new perspective to grief with her silence. Her acting is almost like a silent internal scream throughout, it somehow still rings in your eyes.
