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.
You can read more at the link.
With the current political uncertainty in South Korea, the ROK military probably does not want to something as significant as direct military cooperation with Japan, even if it is in the Philippines:
The South Korean Marine Corps on Tuesday denied Japanese media reports that claimed the two countries will hold a joint military drill in the Philippines next month.
Earlier in the day, Kyodo News Agency and NHK reported the Korean Marine Corps will hold its first-ever joint exercise with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) during KAMANDAG, an annual international military exercise in the Philippines, slated for next month.
The Marine Corps, however, rejected the reports, saying it has no such plan.
“We will conduct combined drills with the United States and the Philippines, but have no plan to do so with the JGSDF,” an official from the Marine Corps told Yonhap News Agency over the phone.
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.
You can read more at the link.
President Trump’s tariffs are definitely contributing to this, but exports across the board are down for South Korea, not just to the U.S.:
South Korea’s exports plunged nearly 24 percent in the first 10 days of May, signaling that the US Trump administration’s tariffs are beginning to take a toll on the trade-dependent economy.
Outbound shipments totaled $12.8 billion during the May 1-10 period, down 23.8 percent from a year earlier, according to preliminary data from the Korea Customs Service released Monday.
Factoring in fewer workdays — five days during the period this year compared to 6.5 days in 2024 — average daily exports fell by just 1 percent, the agency added.
Shipments to China and the US — Korea’s two largest export markets — fell 20.1 percent and 30.4 percent, respectively. Exports to Vietnam declined 14.5 percent, while those to the European Union plunged 38.1 percent. Among the top five destinations, only Taiwan posted growth, with its shipments jumping 14.2 percent.
You can read more at the link.
