Latest news with #politicalCrisis
New York Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
South Korea's New Leader Will Inherit a Divided Country in an Unstable World
The presidential election in South Korea on Tuesday will be a big step toward stabilizing the country after months of political turbulence. But whoever wins — the left-wing front-runner Lee Jae-myung or his conservative rival Kim Moon-soo — will lead a nation in crisis. South Korea's economic growth has sputtered to a snail's pace. Its income gap is wider than ever. Its suicide rates are among the highest, and its birthrates the lowest, in the world. Yet, the country has never been more politically divided — between the left and right, between generations and between young men and women. Whoever becomes the president will not be accepted by a large swath of the polarized society. South Korea also faces formidable challenges from abroad. North Korea is threatening to use its expanding nuclear arsenal against South Korea. Russia has signed a mutual defense treaty with the North and is helping modernize its military. But President Trump has asked why the United States should spend so much money to keep its troops in South Korea. He has also slapped steep tariffs on cars, steel and other products that are crucial for South Korea's export-driven economy. South Korea needs to repair strained diplomatic ties with China, its largest trade partner, to help spur exports and economic growth. But the United States, its only military ally, is asking it to join efforts to contain China. 'A daunting and complex crisis is buffeting us,' said Mr. Lee, the Democratic Party candidate who is leading in the polls. 'We must turn the crisis into opportunities.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Arab News
7 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
South Korean presidential frontrunner Lee Jae-myun proposes revising constitution on martial law
SEOUL: South Korea's left-wing presidential frontrunner Lee Jae-myung proposed on Friday to amend the constitution to make it more difficult to impose martial law, aiming to prevent political crises like the one that erupted last year. As candidates entered their final stretch before the snap presidential election on June 3, Lee and his Democratic Party urged South Koreans to come out to vote to end the political turmoil that has gripped the country since ousted conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration in December. 'Our national prestige has fallen, but it (martial law) happens. We have to make that impossible systematically,' Lee told a live-streaming talk show on YouTube. 'Overcoming the insurrection (crisis) is no-brainer. Without it, our country will collapse,' Lee said, adding that economic growth and unity would be among his other top priorities. Lee said he would seek to revise the constitution to strengthen martial law requirements, for instance by not allowing leaders to implement martial law without getting parliament's approval within 24 hours. More South Koreans turned out for early voting on Friday after reaching record numbers on Thursday. Early voting ends at 6 p.m. (0900 GMT) on Friday. As of noon on Friday, 25.8 percent of eligible voters had voted, the highest turnout compared to other polls in the same period. Lee also said a special prosecutor should investigate the December 3 martial law incident to make sure those responsible were punished, although he called for leniency for those in the military who were reluctant to follow orders. Yoon Yeo-jun, chair of the Democratic Party's election campaign, said that the vote would be an opportunity to set the country right so that the 'Yoon Suk Yeol tragedy would never happen again.' Kim Moon-soo, Lee's rival candidate from the conservative People Power Party, said he would stop 'legislative dictatorship' by Lee's Democratic Party that holds a majority in parliament.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
South Korean presidential frontrunner proposes revising constitution on martial law
By Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's left-wing presidential frontrunner Lee Jae-myung proposed on Friday to amend the constitution to make it more difficult to impose martial law, aiming to prevent political crises like the one that erupted last year. As candidates entered their final stretch before the snap presidential election on June 3, Lee and his Democratic Party urged South Koreans to come out to vote to end the political turmoil that has gripped the country since ousted conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration in December. "Our national prestige has fallen, but it (martial law) happens. We have to make that impossible systematically," Lee told a live-streaming talkshow on YouTube. "Overcoming the insurrection (crisis) is no-brainer. Without it, our country will collapse," Lee said, adding that economic growth and unity would be among his other top priorities. Lee said he would seek to revise the constitution to strengthen martial law requirements, for instance by not allowing leaders to implement martial law without getting parliament's approval within 24 hours. More South Koreans turned out for early voting on Friday after reaching record numbers on Thursday. Early voting ends at 6 p.m. (0900 GMT) on Friday. As of noon on Friday, 25.8% of eligible voters had voted, the highest turnout compared to other polls in the same period. Lee also said a special prosecutor should investigate the December 3 martial law incident to make sure those responsible were punished, although he called for leniency for those in the military who were reluctant to follow orders. Yoon Yeo-jun, chair of the Democratic Party's election campaign, said that the vote would be an opportunity to set the country right so that the "Yoon Suk Yeol tragedy would never happen again." Kim Moon-soo, Lee's rival candidate from the conservative People Power Party, said he would stop "legislative dictatorship" by Lee's Democratic Party that holds a majority in parliament.
Reuters
7 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
South Korean presidential frontrunner proposes revising constitution on martial law
SEOUL, May 30 (Reuters) - South Korea's left-wing presidential frontrunner Lee Jae-myung proposed on Friday to amend the constitution to make it more difficult to impose martial law, aiming to prevent political crises like the one that erupted last year. As candidates entered their final stretch before the snap presidential election on June 3, Lee and his Democratic Party urged South Koreans to come out to vote to end the political turmoil that has gripped the country since ousted conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration in December. "Our national prestige has fallen, but it (martial law) happens. We have to make that impossible systematically," Lee told a live-streaming talkshow on YouTube. "Overcoming the insurrection (crisis) is no-brainer. Without it, our country will collapse," Lee said, adding that economic growth and unity would be among his other top priorities. Lee said he would seek to revise the constitution to strengthen martial law requirements, for instance by not allowing leaders to implement martial law without getting parliament's approval within 24 hours. More South Koreans turned out for early voting on Friday after reaching record numbers on Thursday. Early voting ends at 6 p.m. (0900 GMT) on Friday. As of noon on Friday, 25.8% of eligible voters had voted, the highest turnout compared to other polls in the same period. Lee also said a special prosecutor should investigate the December 3 martial law incident to make sure those responsible were punished, although he called for leniency for those in the military who were reluctant to follow orders. Yoon Yeo-jun, chair of the Democratic Party's election campaign, said that the vote would be an opportunity to set the country right so that the "Yoon Suk Yeol tragedy would never happen again." Kim Moon-soo, Lee's rival candidate from the conservative People Power Party, said he would stop "legislative dictatorship" by Lee's Democratic Party that holds a majority in parliament.
The Independent
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
South Koreans turn out in huge numbers for early voting after months-long political crisis
South Koreans turned out in large numbers as early voting kicked off on Thursday in the snap presidential election following months of political instability and chaos. The high-stakes election was precipitated by a constitutional crisis caused by former president Yoon Suk Yeol's disastrous attempt last December to impose martial law, throwing the country into chaos and sparking widespread protests. The liberal opposition Democratic Party's candidate Lee Jae Myung, the favourite to win, cast his ballot in Seoul, urging people to vote. 'In order to overcome the current crisis and start again as a Korea of recovery and growth, please vote," he said after casting his ballot at a university district in the city. His closest rival, Kim Moon Soo of Mr Yoon's People Power Party, cast his vote in Incheon along with his daughter. "If you do not vote, there is no hope for this country," Mr Kim, 73, the oldest contender in the presidential race, said. He warned that victory for his rival would "take away freedom' after previously calling Mr Lee a harbinger of 'monster politics and dictatorship'. The latest and last poll on the possible winner of the presidential election on Wednesday showed Mr Lee leading Mr Kim by 49.2 per cent to 36.8 per cent. New Reform Party's Lee Jun Seok stood third with 10.3 per cent support. Early voting began at 3,568 polling stations in the country, five days before the main election day on 3 June. According to the National Election Commission, 6.2 million registered voters, 14 per cent of all eligible voters, had cast their vote by 3am local time. It was the highest turnout for the equivalent period in a presidential election, besting the 12 per cent recorded three years ago. South Korea has 44.39 million eligible voters, with women accounting for 50.5 per cent of them, according to data from the interior ministry. On 3 June, a public holiday, voting will run from 6am until 8pm, and results will likely start emerging that evening or early the next day. The National Election Commission is expected to verify the results on 4 June, paving the way for the inauguration of the new president. This election is to fill the political vacuum created by Mr Yoon's removal in April for violating the constitution by imposing martial law decree on 3 December. Mr Yoon's martial law decree, the first in South Korea for about 40 years, was supposedly intended, in part at least, to break political deadlock in the opposition-controlled parliament. It was swiftly overturned by lawmakers, who went on to impeach him. The incoming president will need to ease political divisions and tackle economic problems and work with the US on issues like tariffs and the cost of hosting American troops. On Thursday, the Bank of Korea cut interest rates and slashed its 2025 growth forecast for the fourth-largest economy in Asia to 0.8 per cent from 1.5 per cent. The snap election is one of the most tightly fought in South Korea. Political uncertainty and lack of clarity about the policies of the leading candidates have divided voters, Indo-Pacific and Korea affairs analyst Dr Jagannath Panda argued. 'Domestically, the new president's challenge will be how to keep the economy in order while looking for more employment opportunities for the young generations. Upholding economic stability will be a core focus of the new President,' Dr Panda, head of the Stockholm Centre for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs at the Institute for Security and Development Policy in Sweden, told The Independent. The new leader will be called upon to manage relations with chief ally US, a relationship made unpredictable by Donald Trump 's presidency, as well as with chief adversary North Korea. 'The new South Korean president will have a challenge in maintaining a balance between the United States and North Korea,' Dr Panda said.
