Tag: politics

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 These weapons were withdrawn in late 1991 under U.S. President George H. W. Bush’s nuclear reduction initiatives.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.

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 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.

If the conservatives want any chance at beating Lee they need to rally around Han Duck-soo and soon:

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of South Korea’s main liberal Democratic Party, holds a lead in a potential three-way race for the country’s next election, but support for the conservative bloc shows signs of resurgence, shows a new poll released Monday.

The poll, conducted by Realmeter from April 30 to May 2, found Lee leading with 46.5 percent support in a hypothetical matchup against former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is running as an independent, and Lee Jun-seok of the centrist Reform Party.

Han garnered 34.3 percent of support, and Lee Jun-seok trailed with 5.9 percent.

In a separate scenario replacing Han with Kim Moon-soo, the candidate of the main conservative People Power Party, Lee still led the field with 46.6 percent, with Kim at 27.8 and Lee Jun-seok at 7.5 percent.

Han and Kim are expected to begin negotiations soon to merge their candidacies in a bid to challenge the liberal frontrunner.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Han Duck-soo is actually from the Honam area and was paying his respects to the dead from the 1980 Gwangju Uprising Incident when he was assaulted by protesters:

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited a national cemetery honoring victims of a 1980 pro-democracy uprising Friday as the first stop of his election campaign for the June election but was met with protests. 

Han traveled to the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, 357 kilometers south of Seoul, hours after formally announcing his bid for the June 3 election. Upon arrival, he was confronted by demonstrators expressing opposition to his presence.

On Thursday, Han resigned from his roles as acting president and prime minister, positions he had held following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law in December.

As Han attempted to enter the cemetery, a participant in the rally struck him on the head with a protest placard, prompting immediate intervention by security personnel. Han reportedly did not sustain serious injuries.

Facing strong opposition and a standoff that lasted approximately 20 minutes, Han ultimately paid his respects with a silent tribute at the cemetery’s entrance before leaving the site.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the fact the Korean left sent protesters after Han like this makes me think they are concerned he is a real threat to Lee Jae-myung winning the upcoming Presidential election.