hong joon-pyo
Amid North Korean Threat, Free Trade Agreement Bedevils Moon Jae-in Presidency
Just before the National Assembly was set to vote, a middle-aged man stood at the podium, eyes closed in an apparent meditative state, his navy blue suit covered in fine off-white dust. The man was leftist lawmaker Kim Seon-dong, and a few moments earlier he had set off a tear
A Eulogy for Another Radical Centrist
So this upstart politician — the son of a doctor, the renegade, and a center-liberal candidate who claims to be neither right nor left — appeared to some voters in the recent presidential election to be the only hope (or the lesser evil) to prevent the worst case scenario from taking place.
Military Prosecutors Seek Jail Sentence for Gay Soldier
South Korea’s military prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison sentence for “Lieutenant A,” a soldier accused of having anal intercourse with a colleague. A military court is due to pass sentence on May 24. Lieutenant A is thought to have been caught as part of the army’
S Korea Election Day: Voter Snapshots in Seoul
A year ago today, Park Geun-hye probably would have had no idea how May 9 2017 would unfold. She would’ve imagined carrying out her official duties as president, albeit a lame duck president. She would’ve been thinking about the presidential election that would take place&
The Damming Verdict on Hong Joon-pyo's Drinking Water Plan
Hong Joon-pyo and his Liberty Korea Party regularly come out the worst when comparing presidential candidates’ environmental manifestos. Be it climate change, energy, fine dust, land and sea management or almost anything else, the conservative candidate routinely fails to provide answers or is slammed for his inadequate plans. Recently,
S Korea’s Politics of Betrayal and the Mirage of Conservative Unity
Busan — Ten days before South Korea’s presidential election, candidates Yoo Seong-min and Hong Joon-pyo were both campaigning in Busan, scrounging for any available votes in the traditional conservative bastion. They did the typical rounds in marketplaces and bustling downtown areas, trying to appeal to the voters that South
Hong Joon-pyo and Pig Stimulant: "Which S Korean Man Doesn't Have a Story Like That?"
Just about every South Korean probably knows by now the story of the pig stimulant, even those who haven’t been following the South Korean presidential election. It’s the story of the Liberty Korea Party candidate Hong Joon-pyo’s youth, which first appeared in his 2005
Captivating Moments from South Korea's Unexpected Election Season
In less than three weeks, South Korea will have a new president. It’s a little crazy how quickly things have moved in the past few months: Former president Park Geun-hye’s ouster from office on Mar. 10, which immediately kicked off the 60-day presidential race, and the fierce competition
Reading List: Our 2017 Election Coverage
2017 is an interesting year for South Korean politics. A president has been ousted from office for the first time under the democratic constitution. The ruling conservative party is in shambles, splintered into three parties. The leading presidential candidates are mostly those that identify with the left, which means the
Saenuri Party Is Back. No, Not That Saenuri.
As if South Korea’s conservative faction isn’t fractured enough as is, it now has a third conservative presidential candidate. This reduces the right’s already-minimal chances of getting a sniff at power when the country goes to the polls on May 9. Meet pro-Park Geun-hye
The Presidential Race Is On: Ten Minutes of Live Newstertainment
Sohn Suk-hee’s live interview with Hong Joon-pyo didn’t go the way he planned. Sohn, the president of broadcaster JTBC’s news division, is arguably South Korea’s most famous news anchor. He’s perceived as a hero in many young, progressive circles: He