Category: Politics-Korea

Nothing surprising appears to have come out of the first Korean Presidential debate; Lee Jae-myung thinks orange man is bad and Korea shouldn’t be in a hurry to make a trade deal while Kim Moon-soo says holding an immediate summit with Trump would be a top priority:

The specter of trade negotiations with the United States under President Donald Trump loomed large Sunday night as Korea’s presidential hopefuls offered sharply divergent strategies during their inaugural televised debate.

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate, advocated for a measured, interest-driven path in dealing with Washington, while Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party championed a rapid, trust-based summit approach.

Lee said there was “no need to rush” into an agreement. 

“The foremost principle in trade negotiations is to prioritize the national interest,” he said. “We shouldn’t feel compelled to concede just because the United States makes demands.”

He stressed the value of strategic patience, pointing to Japan and China as examples of countries that have successfully employed this approach.

“Japan, which initially demanded early negotiations, has taken a step back. China also set strong conditions before ultimately adjusting its position. We need to navigate this wisely, too,” he said. 

Lee added that Korea should seize the moment to pivot away from export dependency and steadily increase domestic demand.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The differences in North Korea policies is really not surprising. Lee Jae-myung just wants to continue the liberal policy of paying off Kim Jong-un for little to nothing in return and Kim Moon-soo is calling to increase military readiness against North Korea:

South Korea’s two leading presidential candidates are presenting sharply contrasting approaches to North Korea — one emphasizes diplomacy and dialogue, while the other advocates for a more robust deterrence strategy, including the possible redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea. These weapons were withdrawn in late 1991 under U.S. President George H. W. Bush’s nuclear reduction initiatives.

While North Korea policy has not traditionally played a decisive role in presidential elections, lingering uncertainty over how U.S. President Donald Trump might engage with Pyongyang has raised the stakes for the next South Korean government’s security strategy.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but really the only thing new is Kim Moon-soo advocating for the return of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to North Korea. I would be surprised to see that happen. Another thing he is advocating for is to amend an agreement with the U.S. to allow the ROK to reprocess plutonium and enrich uranium to speed up nuclear weapons development if they needed. I think the ROK might have more success with this idea.

Ultimately it will be up to the Korean voters to decide if they want to use their tax dollars to support a robust defense focused foreign policy towards North Korea or send their tax dollars to pay off Kim Jong-un for little to nothing in return.

Introducing the Yoon Suk Yeol cult… the "Yoonis", should really be spelled Yoonies…

"Love of My Life Yoon Again". No words https://t.co/u0BIczxQGI pic.twitter.com/TpfjrcwMUN

— Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) May 12, 2025

If you believe this poll, Lee Jae-myung with only three weeks to go until the election has a large lead over Kim Moon-soo:

Democratic Party of Korea’s Lee Jae-myung is ahead of People Power Party’s Kim Moon-soo with 49.5 percent to Kim’s 38.2 percent, according to a poll released Tuesday.

This is the first poll on the presidential race since Kim’s nomination was finalized Sunday.

Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party came third at 5.7 percent while 3.1 percent of respondents said they did not have a preferred candidate and 1.9 percent said they were unsure.

The poll by Hangil Research surveyed 1,513 eligible voters aged 18 and older from May 11-12, with more information posted on the National Election Commission website.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

The legal problems for the former first lady continue:

Prosecutors have ordered former first lady Kim Keon Hee to appear for questioning this week over allegations of influence-peddling in the 2022 parliamentary by-elections, legal sources said Monday.

Kim, the wife of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, was recently sent a summons by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office to appear as a suspect on Wednesday, according to the sources.

Kim faces charges of violating the Public Official Election Act and the Political Funds Act in connection with allegations that she helped former People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kim Young-sun win the party’s nomination for the 2022 by-elections via Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, who in return conducted free public opinion polls favorable to Yoon ahead of the 2022 presidential election.

The former first lady has additionally been accused of involvement in the PPP’s candidate nominations for the 2022 local elections and the 2024 general elections.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The conservatives have finally settled on a candidate. I guess we will see if it is too little, too late to overcome the huge lead Lee Jae-myung has:

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Sunday he “humbly accepts” his party’s decision to vote down his presidential candidacy, pledging to assist the party’s final candidate Kim Moon-soo’s presidential campaign. 

Lee Jung-hyun, a spokesperson for Han, made the remarks during a press briefing held a day after the People Power Party’s (PPP) plenary meeting voted down a motion led by the party’s leadership to replace the party’s presidential candidate, Kim, with Han. 

Kim, a former labor minister, had secured the party’s nomination through the primaries, while Han had outperformed him in public polls against Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It seems this could lead to a Constitutional crisis if Lee is convicted after he is President:

 The Seoul High Court on Wednesday postponed the first hearing of Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung’s retrial on election law violation charges until after the June 3 presidential election, citing the need to guarantee his right to a fair trial.

The court said it postponed the hearing from May 15 to June 18 “in order to guarantee a fair electioneering opportunity to the defendant, who is a presidential candidate, and eliminate controversies about the fairness of the trial.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

With the Korean Presidential election coming up next month, the conservatives in Korea still have not settled on a unified ticket. Without a unified ticket they will be handing the election to the Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung without even putting up a fight:

Kim also said there was “no meaningful progress” made during the discussion, calling the outcome “regrettable.”

Han did not attend the post-meeting press briefing as he left immediately after the talks concluded without a deal. 

Kim said he proposed ideas for unifying the conservative candidacy but Han stuck to his previously stated position.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.