presidential election
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.
President Moon Jae-in: Between Everyman Persona and North Korea
On the morning of Mar. 10, the eyes of the nation were on the constitutional court, which unanimously ruled that impeached president Park Geun-hye had to go. One journalist, however, was in Hongeun-dong, Seoul, evidently to scrutinize a plastic bag in front of a modest apartment. The bag featured the
The Triumph of Yearning
On Tuesday night in Seoul, the scent of victory mingled with the aromas of stale beer and fried chicken. At a crowded bar and chicken joint in Seoul’s Mapo district, several dozen supporters of new South Korean president Moon Jae-in gathered to watch the results of the national election
Progressives vs Conservatives: Fried Chicken or Pork Belly?
With just one day left until South Korea’s presidential election, many are busy speculating who will lead the country. Meanwhile, some are trying to tackle this incredibly challenging question about the future of the country: What will people eat while watching the post-election coverage? Spoiler alert: Fried chicken
Workload From Hell: S Korea Post Office's Election Blues
In exactly a week, South Korea will hold its 19th presidential election. It’s a busy time for the post office: The National Election Commission has been mailing out over 20 million promotional packages about the presidential candidates. To voters, these packages are an informative and even a fun way
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
Expect More Fake News This Election Season
Last week, weekly magazine Sisa Journal reported that a group supportive of former president Park Geun-hye, the People’s Rally Movement for Rejection of President Park Geun-hye’s Impeachment, is funding far-right media outlets frequently accused of spreading fake news. Four conservative newspapers — Future Korea, Nocut Ilbe,
The Potent Force of S Korea's Regionalism
Regionalism remains a potent force in South Korea. “If the U.S. has racism, South Korea has regionalism,” said a 2008 article by wire agency Yonhap. There’s even a special word for regional rivalry: jiyeok gamjeong, which literally means “regional enmity.” The most historical and emotionally charged regional rivalry
The Election Lottery: Cast Your Ballot, Win a Prize?
What’s the best way to lure voters back to the ballot box? Some South Koreans think holding a lottery, with monetary prizes, may do the trick. Recently, 30-year-old software developer Yoo Byeong-joon launched the “National Voter Lottery” with six like-minded friends. The idea sparked interest last April, when politician
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
Which South Korean Presidential Candidates Actually Care about the Environment?
On a global level, it seems more and more people care about environmental issues. But maybe not in South Korea. The 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global greenhouse emissions, Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan in the same year, and China’s 2013 China’s Action Plan for
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