Latest news with #Yoon
eNCA
5 hours ago
- Politics
- eNCA
South Koreans rally for presidential hopefuls days before vote
Thousands of supporters of South Korea's two leading presidential candidates rallied in Seoul on Saturday, three 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 put 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 Lee on 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 said, referring to ex-president Yoon's political allies. Yoon is on trial for insurrection and Kwon Oh-hyeok, one of the organisers of Saturday's rally, said a Lee Jae-myung victory in Tuesday's 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." In Gwanghwamun Square on the other side of town, 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. AFP | Pedro Pardo 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 conservative 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," protester Rhee Kang-san told AFP. Ex-president Yoon sent a message to the conservative rally through a group led by a far-right Christian figure, which was read aloud by a supporter on his behalf. "Our country is now facing a grave and unprecedented crisis," Yoon's message said, urging people to vote for the PPP candidate Kim. "If we miss this opportunity, we may have to pay a heavy price in time and sacrifice, and the restoration of free democracy and a normal state may no longer be possible," the former president said, according to supporter Lee Dong-ho, who read the message aloud and shared it with AFP. - Deepening polarisation - Both frontrunner Lee Jae-myung 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. AFP | ANTHONY WALLACE 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. By Claire Lee
Los Angeles Times
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
What this tiny restaurant in Australia reveals about L.A.'s Korean dining scene
At the end of a nearly two-week trip to Melbourne, Australia, early last month, I drove with a friend 50 miles outside the city to a rural town with the amazing name of Cockatoo. She teetered her pickup truck at the edge of a steep driveway, double-checking the address to make sure we were in the right place. She inched her way down to park and we walked the short path to a house nestled in the woods. Yoora Yoon greeted us at the door and welcomed us inside. We had made it to our Saturday lunch destination: Chae, a six-seat restaurant centered on the talents of Jung Eun Chae, to whom Yoon is married. Yoon stood at the crook of the L-shaped counter where the diners had settled and introduced Chae as she quietly glided between tasks in the open kitchen we sat facing. Then he left the room. Chae placed pots of ginseng tea on burners in front of us. We were in her hands. A trio of bites comprised the first of seven courses. Sanjeok can refer to skewered meats and vegetables; Chae reconceived the dish as minced chicken marinated in ganjang (the Korean version of soy sauce that Chae makes herself) and pan-fried. She hid a lightly candied walnut half in its center for crunch. It was flanked by two jeon, or fritters. One was a loose ball of shrimp and julienned king oyster mushrooms nipped with spring onion and chile, flattened where it had browned in the skillet. The other was a zucchini coin cooked in translucent egg batter. Each was a microcosm of mixed textures and savory flavors. I looked over with 'ok, wow' raised eyebrows at the friend next to me, Besha Rodell. Longtime food-obsessed Angelenos will remember Besha as the last food critic for L.A. Weekly, from 2012 to 2017. She's currently the chief restaurant critic for the Age and Good Weekend in Melbourne, and this month her memoir 'Hunger Like A Thirst' was published. We've been close for 20 years and shared many exceptional meals. Chae was shaping up to be one of them. A stone bowl filled with more diverse tastes arrived next. Pyeonyuk, striated pork meat and fat pressed into square slices for satisfying chew. Yukhoe, a tangle of chopped raw beef glossed with just-made sesame oil. The dish often includes Asian pear; Chae spritzed it instead with a fermented apple extract she had concocted. Cilantro leaves dressed in nutty perilla oil acted as mulchy contrast against poached octopus and a ojingeo-jeot, squiggly fermented squid. In the center of the plate, to season and balance the tastes, was a dense pool of cho-gochujang, a vinegared variation on the ubiquitous Korean chile paste. Chae had made this, too, from the very building blocks of Korean cuisine: She ferments her own meju, the bricks of crushed soybeans also used to craft ganjang and doenjang, the paste analogous to miso. I'm generally a fast eater. This collage of small dishes, where every element felt so considered, managed to slow me way down. Something beautifully simple followed: chicken noodle soup, its poultry-intense broth sharpened only by thin triangles of radish kimchi. Chae, who was born in Seoul, had been working in Melbourne fine dining when she injured her ankle in a motorcycle accident, forcing her to step away from the extreme demands of kitchen work. She was considering her next move when she watched the season-three episode of 'Chef's Table' on Netflix about Buddhist nun-chef Jeong Kwan, who lives and teaches at the Baegyangsa temple in South Korea. Moved by the clarity of her philosophy and relationship to nature, Chae went to study with her. It set the path for her tiny home-based restaurant, where she would make her own jangs — as she remembered her mother doing in her childhood — and serve meals only two days a week. I read up on all this after my meal with Besha, but aspects of the cooking registered as familiar even in the moment. Kwang Uh, the chef and co-owner of extraordinary Baroo in Los Angeles, also studied with Jeong Kwan; he met his wife and business partner Mina Park at the temple. With a couple of day's notice, Uh will make a vegetarian or vegan version of Baroo's set menu. When I think of its bowls of wondrous, seaweed-seasoned rice and banchan of seasonal vegetables, and treasures like dried acorn jelly with the thick chew of cavatelli, I can trace the through-line of Jeong Kwan's influence to both chefs. I'm remembering Chae's finale of rice crowned with spinach and mushrooms and sides of kimchi and spicy radish salad; she served it alongside jeongol (hot pot) of mushrooms and croquettes of minced beef and tofu. Los Angeles, we all know, is blessed with one of the world's great Korean dining cultures. If I'm hungry for jeon of many shapes, I can head to HanEuem in Koreatown. For soup that seemingly heals all ills, we have Hangari Kalguksu. For chefs that turn the essence of Korean cuisine into personal, meditative tasting menus, we have Uh at Baroo and Ki Kim at his new Restaurant Ki. And still: How rich to have a meal, on the opposite side of the world, that expressed another side of the culinary Korean diaspora unlike anything I've experienced. The economics of a small operation like Chae's must sometimes feel precarious. But the impressive structure and flow of the meal, balanced with a forested home environment in a room full of honeycomb-colored woods, was singular. Would a chef anywhere in the Los Angeles area be able to age meju, produce their own jangs and serve meditative meals to a tiny number of people? Unlikely, but if nothing else, it reminds me that the Korean dining possibilities here are inexhaustible. I'll be writing more in detail about my time eating in and around Melbourne in the coming months. Australia is on our minds at the Food section this weekend since the Times and Tourism Australia will present the 2nd Annual Great Australian Bite on Saturday, featuring chefs Curtis Stone of Gwen and Pie Room and Clare Falzon visiting from Staġuni above Adelaide in South Australia. The event has sold out, but food reporter Stephanie Breijo wrote about the Malibu property where Stone will host the event — and where he's building a new lifestyle empire.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
South Koreans rally for presidential hopefuls days before vote
Photo: AP 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. 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. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo 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.
France 24
11 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
South Koreans rally for presidential hopefuls days before vote
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.
The Star
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Turnout for early voting in South Korea falls short of 2022 at 34.74%
Vote counting starts at a polling station in Jung-gu of Seoul on Friday. - Photo: Yonhap SEOUL: Some 15.4 million South Korean voters went to the polls to cast their votes for the next president during the two-day period for early voting. But the number of those voting before Tuesday's (June 3) election levelled off on the second day, reversing earlier anticipation for a new record of early votes this year. Voter turnout for the two days of in-person voting at 3,568 designated polling stations nationwide recorded 34.74 percent, according to the National Election Commission. That was lower than the 36.93 percent early turnout recorded ahead of the 2022 election. With turnout on the first day of early voting having reached a new high of 19.68 percent Thursday, anticipation was soaring for a record portion of the approximately 44.4 million voters in South Korea to go to polls in advance, with the election to mark a watershed moment for a country still reeling from the political crisis in the aftermath of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law. The number of voters having participated in advance voting surpassed 10 million by 10am Friday (May 30). It took 16 hours of early poll operations to hit that milestone number — shorter than 17 hours in 2022. However, turnout had begun to plateau by 2pm Friday. As of 2pm turnout amounted to 28.59 percent, down 0.15 percentage point from 2022. Three hours later — an hour before polling stations closed — the gap had widened to 1.74 percentage points. Rep. Kim Yong-tae, interim chair of the conservative People Power Party, said that incidents exemplifying poor management at polling stations for advance voting nationwide sparked public distrust in election authorities and led people to refrain from casting their votes. Kim cited news reports that some voters had brought ballots out of polling stations and carried them with them to have lunch outside. He also said a woman at a polling station working there was arrested for casting a vote for her husband without him being present, while ballots intended for the 2024 general elections were presented at some polling stations. "People are appalled by the botched election management," Kim said, raising a need for an all-out inspection of polling stations this year, while suggesting a change in election law to make it mandatory for all early-voting ballots to carry the signature of a polling station staff member. Yoon, who was impeached in mid-December and formally ousted in April for his brief imposition of martial law in early December, had cited the threat of election rigging during early voting sessions as among the reasons for the deployment of armed forces to the country's election authority on Dec 3, 2024. Yoon has claimed that he had intended to inspect the election authorities. - The Korea Herald/ANN
