This poll I think isn’t too surprising considering Ban Ki-moon’s name recognition within Korea and the fact he really isn’t tied to any bad scandals which makes him a safe pick in most people’s minds for President:
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon led in the latest support poll for South Korea’s next potential president, giving him yet another hopeful sign that he could defeat all other seasoned politicians now busy gearing up for the country’s highest office in next year’s election.
Ban topped the poll conducted by the JoongAng Ilbo of 1,000 adults nationwide by receiving 32.7 percent support from eligible voters, nearly twice that of Moon Jae-in’s 17.3 percent.
Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party received 8.1 percent while Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon received 4.2 percent, trailed by former Saenuri chairman Kim Moo-sung with 3.9 percent. Former Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon garnered 3.7 percent, followed by former Gyeonggi governor Sohn Hak-kyu with 3.2 percent.
The JoongAng’s poll, conducted on Sept. 20 and 21 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, comes at a time of growing speculation over whether Ban will declare his bid for presidential office upon completing his second term at the United Nations at the end of this year. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link.
Japanese authorities investigate the scene where an explosion took place at a park in Tokyo on Sept. 24, 2016. The explosion injured three South Koreans who were preparing to open a booth for Korean cuisine at the South Korea-Japan cultural exchange event. (Yonhap)
It looks like there could be some serious gridlock if the subway workers strike as planned to stop the implementing of performance based pay:
The Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union will enter an all-out strike from today, while metros in Seoul and Busan also announced a strike from today, which comes as worrying news for many commuters who fear they may have to contend with nationwide paralyzed underground and railroad traffic.
The announcement on Monday heralds the first time in 22 years that the transport workers’ union and public metro companies in Seoul decided to hold a simultaneous strike.
The transport workers’ strikes follow a general strike by the Korean Financial Industry Union since Friday, and will be followed by another from Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union on Wednesday and by the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and Korean Confederation of Trade Unions on Thursday.
The unions are protesting the central government’s plan to extend the performance-based salary system to more employees of public companies and organizations. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link.
A sporting chance for #NorthEstAsia #Trilateralism. Next 3 Olympics are Pyeongchang 2018, Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022: https://t.co/hyO5yfItfu
— Aidan Foster-Carter (@fcaidan) September 24, 2016
I really can’t blame South Koreans for wanting their own nuclear deterrent considering the threat they are facing on a daily basis from the Kim regime:
Nearly 60 percent of South Koreans support the country’s development of its own nuclear weapons, a poll showed Friday, amid the rising calls among hawkish lawmakers for Seoul to consider the aggressive option to curb Pyongyang’s provocations.
According to the data compiled by pollster Gallup Korea, 58 percent of the respondents agreed with South Korea’s nuclear armament scenario, while 34 percent expressed an opposition. The study was conducted on 1,010 South Koreans throughout the country this week. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link.
With all the recent major crimes being committed on Jeju island some resident want to see the visa waiver program ended to better ensure public safety:
In line with the rise, the number of foreign tourists who commit crimes at one of the country’s most popular tourist sites has also increased.
The Jeju Provincial Police Agency said 347 foreign offenders have been arrested on Jeju as of July. The figure is up by nearly 60 percent from the number tallied in the same period last year, which stood at 218.
Among the 347 foreigners, Chinese nationals accounted for the largest proportion of offenders with 240, or 69.2 percent, followed by Americans with 13.
Reflecting such trends, calls to beef up security by local residents have been rising.
More than 14,500 people have signed a petition filed at a bulletin board of local Internet portal Daum as of Tuesday since it was first proposed on Sunday.
“The country’s precious island of Jeju has turned into a lawless zone with Chinese tourists who enter without visas,” the netizen who first proposed the petition said. “The safety of South Koreans should be given top priority than what can be earned from tourism.” [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link.
Workers retile the quake-damaged roof of a traditional Korean house in Gyeongju, some 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Sept. 23, 2016. The government has designated the historical city as a special disaster area after a recent series of earthquakes caused property damage. (Yonhap)
Yeah, good luck with this especially in South Korea where Internet mud slinging is almost a national past time:
Ahead of its official launch, a special interest group supporting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked similar groups linked with other potential presidential candidates to agree not to maliciously attack or slander each other.
The group, named Banditburi, or firefly in Korean (a play on the UN chief’s surname), is scheduled to hold its inaugural meeting on Nov. 10.
Banditburi has reached out to groups that support liberals Moon Jae-in, the former chairman of the main opposition Minjoo Party, and Ahn Cheol-soo, former chairman of the People’s Party, to agree to avoid any mudslinging ahead of next year’s presidential elections.
Kim Sung-hee, chairman of the preparatory committee to launch the group for Ban, told the JoongAng Ilbo over phone on Wednesday, “We asked other groups supporting key potential presidential contenders, including the opposition’s Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo, as well as the ruling party’s Kim Moo-sung [former chairman of the Saenuri Party], to forge a gentlemen’s agreement.”
He continued, “The political scene is messy as is, so we proposed that at least groups like ours should not engage in slander or malicious comments online, or muckraking of any kind.” [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link.
Considering how South Korea faces constant threats of nuclear annihilation from the North, it would be interesting to see what China’s complaints would be against a South Korean nuclear deterrent when they have done nothing to stop North Korea:
South Korea’s ruling and opposition parties on Wednesday continued to debate over whether Seoul should consider its own nuclear armament as an option to defend the country amid escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula sparked by Pyongyang’s provocations.
Following North Korea’s launch of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) as well as its fifth nuclear test, a rising number of hawkish lawmakers, mainly from the ruling Saenuri Party, claimed that South Korea must consider developing its own nuclear weapon.
“We need to consider every option, including deploying tactical nuclear weapons, developing our own nukes, striking North Korea’s related facilities, and demolishing Kim Jong-un’s regime,” Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of Saenuri said during an interpellation session held at the National Assembly.
“South Korea should not delay the move in fear of international sanctions or possible discord with China. This is a chance to conclude North Korea’s nuke issue once and for all,” Lee added. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link.
