Age was the biggest factor in SK's election. As age rises, Moon's support fades; starting w age 50, center-right candidates become majority pic.twitter.com/CWV5mgZZje
— Noon in Korea (@NoonInKorea) May 13, 2017
Second best thing about South Korean elections (other than the democratic process): the animated results. https://t.co/MggembyVSs pic.twitter.com/lxWBfqv2AC
— Alastair Gale (@AlastairGale) May 9, 2017
You would think the police in Seoul would have better things to do instead of arresting this guy for taking a banner down off of his home:
Police have booked an American man, 64, who works as a part-time English instructor at Hongik University, for allegedly vandalizing a presidential campaign poster.
Under Korean election law, unlawfully removing or vandalizing a political campaign poster can lead to a two-year jail term or a fine of 4 million won ($ 3,500).
Mapo Police Station said on Monday the man allegedly tried to remove a poster from the side of his house on Apr. 21. His neighbors tried to stop him but he repeatedly said “my home” and continued to dismantle the poster before being arrested.
It is unclear whether the neighbors explained clearly to the suspect that removing an election poster is against the law. The man is known to have told police he did not know it was unlawful. [Korea Times]
There is probably more to this story, but on the surface it seems if someone puts a banner on your house you should be able to take it down if you don’t want it there.
The next Presidential election will soon happen in the ROK:
Korea will elect its next president on May 9, the government said Wednesday.
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, acting president since Park Geun-hye’s presidential impeachment on Dec. 9, 2016, hosted a cabinet meeting and endorsed the plan.
Interior Minister Hong Yun-sik held a press conference and announced the date. Election day will be designated a holiday. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
It looks like some high school students in South Korea will have the opportunity to vote in the next South Korean presidential election:
The voting age is likely to be lowered to 18 for the 2017 presidential election.
The New Conservative Party for Reform (NCPR), created by lawmakers who left the Saenuri Party, said Wednesday that it will seek to lower the voting age from 19 to 18 and apply it to the next election.
With all three opposition parties supporting an increase in the number of eligible voters, there is a high possibility that the Election Lw could be revised during an extraordinary session of the National Assembly in January.
If revised, those who are 18, currently high school students, will be able to vote in the presidential election, which could take place earlier than scheduled. [Korea Times]
A candidate running in local elections in 1952 is campaigning on a street in this photo included in a pictorial journal published by the National Archives of Korea on Oct. 27, 2015. The journal chronicles the history of Korea’s local elections starting in 1948 and includes photographs and documents obtained from U.N. archives. (Photo provided by the National Archives of Korea) (Yonhap)
This is a tough issue to address because I like the openness the Internet provides for people to share ideas, but with all the false information passed on the Internet to influence politics in South Korea I can understand why many in Korea think this law is needed. Anyone in Korea in 2008 can remember how crazy the madcow crisis became based off of Internet speculation and false news reports:
The Constitutional Court ruled constitutional Thursday a law that mandates a user-identification system on news outlets during an election period, citing the fairness of the election.
While the online real-name verification legislation was abolished in 2012, the current Public Official Election Act requires Internet news sites, including news aggregators, to provide the system for users to input and verify their identities when posting articles either supporting or countering a candidate during 30 days of election campaigning.
The court said in a 5-4 vote that considering the public confidence and awareness of the Web sites, information distortion could happen instantly through the spread of rumors or propaganda.
As it does not take much time to go through the verification process and it guarantees the protection of users’ personal information, the clause does not infringe upon the freedom of speech nor the right to self-determination, the court said. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link.
