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TimesLIVE
27-05-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Candidates' spouses take centre stage in South Korea's heated presidential race
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 took her unusually vocal criticism onto Saturday Night Live Kore a, 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 (PPP) 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. Frontrunner Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party is far ahead in the polls but 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 a corporate credit card'.
AsiaOne
27-05-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Candidate spouses take centre stage in South Korea's heated presidential race, Asia News
SEOUL — 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 (PPP) 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." [[nid:717901]]
Korea Herald
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Spouses of candidates join campaign efforts
Kim Hye-kyung, Seol Nan-young help shape public images for their husbands The spouses of the two leading presidential candidates have been more visible on the campaign trail in recent weeks compared to previous election cycles. At the same time, they have avoided moves that could overshadow the candidates themselves, despite a political atmosphere fueling their rivalry. On Wednesday, Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of liberal Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung, visited the port of Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, where the hull of the Sewol ferry remains docked. Kim paid respect to the victims of the ferry's sinking in 2014, which claimed the lives of 304 people on board, mostly high school students on a field trip. Kim, however, did not schedule a meeting with the bereaved families of the ferry disaster. She volunteered to serve food at a senior welfare center in the liberal stronghold of Gwangju the previous day. Then, she met with 10 teens who were orphaned as children and were preparing to graduate from foster care in the area. She has also been attending various religious ceremonies in an apparent bid to seek support for her husband from religious voters. Seol Nan-young, wife of conservative People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo, has taken a relatively active role in the former labor minister's campaign as well. Seol has taken similar steps as Kim Hye-kyung by visiting a senior welfare center and meeting with religious groups, but she has also been more outspoken on the campaign trail than her counterpart. While Kim Hye-kyung has avoided interviews during Lee's latest campaign — his third attempt at the presidency — Seol has given interviews to local broadcasters and right-wing YouTube channel Kosungkooktv. In an interview with Channel A early this week, Seol said it would have been "completely unacceptable" if her husband Kim Moon-soo had used the Gyeonggi provincial government's credit card for personal expenses when he was Gyeonggi Province governor from 2006 to 2014. 'The internal policies on the usage of the government credit card are very strict and we used it in accordance with those rules,' she explained. Seol's remarks were an apparent jab at Kim Hye-kyung, who was fined 1.5 million won ($1,080) in an appellate court ruling on Monday for purchasing personal meals using a government card. Lee Jae-myung also served as Gyeonggi Province governor from 2018 to 2021. The Suwon High Court said that a dinner hosted by Kim Hye-kyung using the government card in August 2021 benefited Lee's political career. Political commentators have recently taken notice of the two potential first ladies' rising profiles on the campaign trail. Rep. Kim Yong-tae, the People Power Party's interim chair, on Tuesday proposed a televised debate between the candidates' spouses ahead of the start of early in-person voting next week. Lee, however, turned down the proposal, with the Democratic Party calling Rep. Kim's proposal 'absurd and bizarre.' No televised debate between the spouses of presidential candidates has been held in South Korean history. Rep. Kim, meanwhile, apologized for "past acts" of Kim Keon Hee, the former first lady and wife of impeached and removed President Yoon Suk Yeol, while alluding to a vetting process for first lady-to-bes, in a press briefing Wednesday afternoon. "The People Power Party respectfully apologizes to the public for our failure to recognize the concerns of the people over former first lady Kim Keon Hee's past acts," Rep. Kim said. The Democratic Party has accused Kim Keon Hee of alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and interference in the People Power Party's election nominations through a power broker. Rep. Kim said he plans to launch a "clear vetting process for the first lady role based on the people's right to know." Efforts will be made to bolster the legal responsibility of the role, aligned with preparation for a bill that would put the position of the first lady on par with that of a public servant. "We plan to make the budget allocated for activities of first ladies and its execution process transparent, so they would bear the same legal responsibility as any other public servant if they carry out abuses of power or illegal acts," he explained. Kim Hye-kyung, 59, has a bachelor's degree in piano from Sookmyung Women's University and a master's in music therapy from Myongji University's Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Therapy. She and Lee married in 1991 after meeting on a blind date. They have two sons. Seol, 71, has a bachelor's degree in Korean language and literature from Sacred Heart Women's University, which was merged with the Catholic University of Korea in 1995. She was a labor activist and union leader when she worked at Sejin Electronics in the late 1970s. Seol and Kim Moon-soo met as labor activists and later married in 1981. They have one daughter. mkjung@
Korea Herald
29-01-2025
- Korea Herald
Major highways remain congested on Lunar New Year: traffic expected to ease after evening
Both directions on major highways across South Korea remained congested with homecoming and returning vehicles on Lunar New Year on Wednesday, with traffic expected to ease later in the day. On some sections of the Gyeongbu Expressway, which links Seoul to the southeastern city of Busan through major cities, cars were often at a standstill as of Wednesday afternoon due to heavy traffic. On Wednesday, the fifth day of this year's extended six-day Lunar New Year holiday, known as Seol, an estimated 6.39 million cars were predicted to travel on highways nationwide in both directions to and from the broader capital region, according to Korea Expressway Corp. Cars were also at a standstill or moving slowly on sections of other major highways, such as the Namhae and Yeongdong expressways. Korea Expressway expected traffic would ease after Wednesday evening as vehicles clear out from both directions on the highways. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
27-01-2025
- Korea Herald
Acting president inspects safety measures amid Lunar New Year holiday
Acting President Choi Sang-mok conducted inspections of transportation, fire prevention and public safety measures Monday during the extended Lunar New Year holiday, his office said. Choi received briefings from the head of the state-run Korea Expressway Corporation, as millions of people travel to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year, known as Seol, one of the country's two major traditional holidays, according to the finance ministry. This year's holiday has been extended to six days, lasting until Thursday, after the government designated Monday as a temporary national holiday. "Please ensure that transportation management is thorough so that the public can travel safely and comfortably, with this year's Lunar New Year holiday being longer than usual," Choi was quoted by the ministry as saying. In addition, Choi visited the Seoul Emergency Operations Center, where he was briefed on the potential for emergency cases during the holiday period, the ministry said. He urged officials to focus their efforts on maintaining the country's emergency medical system, emphasizing the increased movement of people and the heightened risks of various safety incidents. (Yonhap)
