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Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
South Korean presidential election roiled by coffee beans, Chanel bags and room salon
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's presidential race has devolved into personal attacks and petty disputes, drowning out meaningful policy debate after former conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol's ouster over his martial law fiasco. The bitter mudslinging between liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung and conservative opponent Kim Moon Soo escalated during Tuesday night's final presidential debate, with Lee branding Kim 'Yoon Suk Yeol's avatar' and Kim denouncing Lee as a 'harbinger of monster politics and dictatorship.' Here is a look at the words and controversies that have roiled the presidential contest as two days of early voting begins Thursday ahead of the June 3 election: Lee roasted over coffee beans Consistently trailing Lee in opinion polls, Kim has focused on dredging up his legal troubles and casting the outspoken Democratic Party candidate as a dangerous, hardline populist whose economic promises are detached from reality. For days, Kim's camp has seized on what appeared to be a casual comment by Lee about the profitability of running coffee shops during a May 16 campaign rally in Gunsan city. Lee was touting his past policy as Gyeonggi Province governor in 2019, when he relocated unlicensed food vendors from the province's popular mountain streams to clean up and revitalize tourist areas. Lee said he offered to help vendors transition to legitimate businesses and suggested it would be far more profitable to sell coffee than their labor-intensive chicken porridge. Lee said he noted that a cup of coffee could sell for 8,000 to 10,000 won ($5.8 to $7.3), while the raw cost of beans was just 120 won (9 cents). The remarks quickly struck a nerve in a country where the rapid spread of small coffee shops has come to symbolize the struggles of the self-employed in a decaying job market. Kim's People Power Party accused Lee of 'driving a nail into the hearts of small business owners' by portraying coffee shops as profiteering and said he misunderstood the factors behind retail pricing. Lee accused the conservatives of distorting his remarks, saying he was simply explaining how he had helped vendors operate in a better environment. Kim sidesteps a Chanel bag scandal Kim's avoidance of direct criticism of Yoon over his martial law decree has been a major source of Lee's political offensive against him. When Yoon appeared May 21 to view a documentary film justifying his martial law decree and raising unfounded claims about how the liberals benefited from election fraud, some PPP members lamented he was practically campaigning for Lee. Kim, formerly Yoon's labor minister, only said he would do his best as president to eliminate suspicions of alleged election fraud. Kim also has not offered any notable reaction to various scandals surrounding Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee. Prosecutors in Seoul are investigating fresh allegations that the former first lady received luxury gifts, including two Chanel bags, from a Unification Church official seeking business favors after Yoon took office in 2022. She previously faced several other allegations including receiving a Dior bag from a Korean American pastor and involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme. During the presidential debate, Lee claimed Yoon would return as a 'shadow ruler' behind Kim, and Kim skirted Lee's question about whether he would pardon Yoon. Allegations from a 'room salon' The 'room salon' is a long-standing symbol of South Korea's male-oriented nightlife culture. The expensive, private karaoke bar where hostesses drink and sing with male customers abruptly emerged as a hot election issue. Lee's party alleged a judge handling Yoon's rebellion trial visited one of the bars in affluent southern Seoul last year with two unidentified people. It said his companions paid the bill and they were likely linked to his work as a judge, representing a conflict of interest. The judge, Jee Kui-youn, has been at the center of bipartisan wrangling since he approved Yoon's release from prison in March and allowed him to stand his trial without physical detention. 'We should strip him of his judge robe,' party spokesperson Noh Jongmyun said. 'Isn't it preposterous for him to serve as chief judge for the rebellion trial where the fate of Korea's democracy lies?' Jee denied the allegations, saying that like many ordinary people he enjoys 'samgyeopsal,' grilled pork bellies, and 'somaek,' shots mixing beer and the traditional Korean liquor soju. Conservative critics accuse the Democratic Party of trying to tame the judiciary branch as Lee faces five criminal trials over corruption and other allegations. Chaos over unifying candidacies South Korea does not hold a second round of runoff elections. Subsequently, when there is a clear frontrunner it is common for two remaining rivals to launch a unified campaign in which one withdraws and supports the other in exchange for a high-profile role in the government. With Lee maintaining a solid lead, this year's race saw a similar maneuver among conservatives, but the extremely chaotic, undemocratic manner failed and hurt Kim's campaign. Believing Han Duck-soo, Yoon's former prime minister, had a better chance of defeating Lee, PPP leaders consisting primarily of Yoon loyalists held late night, emergency meetings to cancel Kim's nomination and push a candidacy by Han, an independent. The attempt was rejected the next day in a vote by party members. Kim called the move 'an overnight political coup' and later made efforts to align with Lee Joon-seok, the candidate of the smaller conservative party. Lee has flatly rejected the overture.
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
South Korea's presidential election by the numbers
SEOUL, May 29 (Reuters) - South Koreans go to the polls on June 3 to elect the country's 21st president, aiming to restore political stability after months of turmoil and fill a power vacuum following the botched attempt by former leader Yoon Suk Yeol to impose martial law. Here are some details about South Korea's election system: The election is held in a single round and the candidate who receives the most votes is deemed the winner and entitled to serve one five-year term. The top three candidates based on a recent Gallup Korea poll are the liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, with 49% public support, followed by his main conservative rival Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party with 35% and another conservative candidate, New Reform Party's Lee Jun-seok, on 11%. All of the six candidates remaining in the race are men with no women in the final lineup for the first time since 2007, according to the National Election Commission (NEC). South Korea has only had one female leader, Park Geun-hye. The youngest candidate is Lee Jun-seok, who is 40, and the oldest is Kim Moon-soo at 73. There are 44.39 million eligible voters, with women accounting for 50.5% of voters, according to data on the electoral roll from the interior ministry. South Korea is one of the world's fastest ageing societies and the number of voters aged above 60 accounts for about a third of the electorate, outstripping the 28% share of those in their 20s and 30s. Gyeonggi Province is home to the largest number of voters, accounting for 26.4%, followed by Seoul at 18.7% and Busan at 6.5%. A total of 205,268 people overseas voted between May 20 and 25 in 118 countries, the NEC said. South Korea's acting President Lee Ju-ho said on Monday the government was "transparently disclosing the entire process of the presidential election", according to his office. The National Election Commission will air CCTV surveillance footage of rooms storing ballots from early voting, with their entrances sealed before counting starts and transported ballots given police escorts, Lee said. After votes are cast, ballots will be initially sorted by machines and then election workers will count them, the NEC said. The official election campaign is relatively short in South Korea in a bid to contain costs. It started on May 12. There are 3,568 polling stations across the country open for early voting that will be allowed between May 29-30. Election day on June 3 is a public holiday and voting will run from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. with an indication of the results likely to start emerging that evening or early the next day. On June 4, the National Election Commission is expected to verify the results and the inauguration of the new president will be held. SOURCES: National Election Commission, Gallup Korea
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Korean mum probed for ignoring fatally ill son, buying US$144,000 life insurance in his name
A heartless Korean mother has sparked outrage online after it was revealed that instead of seeking medical help for her severely ill son took out a 200 million won (US$144,000) life insurance policy in his name. Advertisement On May 17, the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency reported that on the night of September 20, last year, a man in his 30s from Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi province, in northwestern South Korea, began vomiting large amounts of blood due to chronic liver disease. Details about the man's family background and the underlying cause of his condition remain undisclosed. Despite losing nearly three litres of blood and an emergency station being just a seven-minute drive from their home, his mother, who is in her 60s and reportedly works in the insurance industry, chose not to call an ambulance or seek any medical help. Instead, she allegedly took out a life insurance policy worth 200 million won in her son's name. The sick man died in a hospital ward after his condition deteriorated to the extent that his heart could not pump enough blood to his body. Photo: Shutterstock The man was eventually taken to hospital by a friend the next day, 25 hours after the incident.
South China Morning Post
20-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Anti-Chinese sentiment in South Korea reignited by violent incidents, stereotypes
A chilling emergency alert was issued across Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea on Monday afternoon, warning residents: 'A stabbing has occurred. Police are searching the area. Please stay indoors and remain cautious.' Just hours later, a photo of the suspect, an ethnic Korean Chinese man named Cha Cheol-nam, dominated the front pages of major Korean news websites, as police issued a nationwide search for his capture. That afternoon, Cha allegedly stabbed a woman in her 60s – the owner of a convenience store he often visited – and fled. When officers traced him back to his one-room flat, they discovered a severely decomposed body believed to have been dead for several days. Cha had also stabbed a man in his 70s about two kilometres from the store, and police later discovered another body near his residence. Police arrested him just an hour after starting the open search. Between Sunday and Monday, three knife-related incidents involving Chinese nationals occurred across southern Gyeonggi Province. Two triggered a 'Code Zero' alert – the police's highest-level emergency response. The incidents quickly reignited a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment online and reinforced long-standing stereotypes about ethnic Korean Chinese, known as Joseonjok. Comment sections on YouTube videos were flooded with remarks like 'Deport all Chinese nationals' and 'Don't call Joseonjok our fellow Koreans.' The origins of the Joseonjok date back to the 1860s, when many Koreans migrated to Manchuria to escape famine, forming close-knit communities – particularly in what is now China 's Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture.
CNA
19-05-2025
- CNA
Man arrested for stabbing four in South Korea
SEOUL: South Korean police said on Monday (May 19) that a man was arrested after stabbing four people, leaving two dead. Around 9.30am (8.30am, Singapore time) on Monday, the suspect stabbed a convenience store owner, a woman in her sixties, and fled the scene in Gyeonggi Province, west of Seoul. After police responded to that stabbing, they went to the home of the car owner linked to the suspect's vehicle. They discovered a body there which "is believed to be that of the car owner", a Siheung Police Station official told AFP, adding that the body appeared to have been left for several days. About two hours later, the suspect stabbed another man in his seventies before again fleeing the scene. Shortly after that, police discovered another body near a house close to the convenience store. The injured victims were receiving treatment at a hospital and were recovering, a police official said. The suspect remained at large before police apprehended him hours after. The Siheung police station confirmed to AFP they had arrested the suspect, and the suspect has "confessed to all charges". "We are currently transferring him to the Siheung Police Station for further questioning into his motives and the details of the incident." Local residents received a warning message on Monday afternoon from Siheung city hall saying: "A stabbing incident occurred today in the Jeongwang-dong area". It added that police were "currently searching the scene". "Citizens are advised to avoid going out and prioritise their safety." The city later sent out another warning message that the suspect was "in his mid-50s with a balding head, wearing a dark-coloured jumper and pants, and a light blue top", adding that if he was seen, it should be reported immediately. "We have released an official public wanted poster for a quick capture," a Siheung police official told AFP. The case comes months after a teacher fatally stabbed an eight-year-old student at an elementary school in South Korea, and most recently, a student who stabbed four at a school.
