On Wednesday, South Koreans are going to vote to choose their next president. Here’s everything you need to know about South Korea’s 2022 presidential election.
South Korea: Election O’clock
Whoever wins the presidential elections following Wednesday’s poll is going to walk into a bag full of major issues from the rising housing prices to the threat of nucléaire armed North Korea. The nation is the world’s 10th largest economy and the winner will be assuming office from May 10 for five years. The candidate with the most votes is going to be the next president even if they don’t achieve the support of the majority.
South Korea adopted this election system in 1987 following the massive pro-democracy protests and liberalization needs from the people during the military-backed government days. Moon Jae-in, the current president, is barred by the law from seeking re-election. About 44 million people over the age of 18 are eligible for voting. Last week during the early voting,16 million cast their ballots. Additionally, 161,820 voters living outside the country also cast their votes from booths set up in the diplomatic offices.
2022 Presidential election: Who’s who
The South Korean election for the president is a stiff fight between Lee Jae-Myung, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party candidate, and Yoon Suk Yeol, the candidate from the conservative People Power Party. Both candidates have been severely criticized for not having a long-term vision for leading the nation and their negative campaigning. Lee is a former governor of Gyeonggi province that surrounds Seoul. On the other hand, Yono is a former prosecutor general with just one year of experience in politics. They both have been bickering over North Korea’s improving nuclear arsenal and the US-China relations.
Major promises: Economic relief, public housing, jobs
Lee is expressing nationalistic views and is hoping to win exceptions from the United Nations for North Korea. He also wishes for the nation to mediate between Pyongyang and Washington and revise dormant nuclear diplomacy. However, Yoon is seeking a stronger security commitment from the US to stop North Korea’s aggression. He also favors striking the North preemptively if there is a possible sign of attack. A stronger bond with the US is the center of his foreign policy. However, both candidates are promising economic relief to small businesses that were hit by the restrictions from the pandemic. They are also focused on providing public housing and creating more job opportunities.
Skeletons in the closet
Both candidates have been mudslinging each other with crazy accusations on their families. Lee’s wife apologized for the allegations that she used official funds for her use and for making public servants do her errands during her husband’s time as the governor. Yoon’s wife apologize did for sessions of falsified work experience. Moreover, Yoon has attacked Lee on several occasions for being a prominent figure in a corrupt property development project during his time as the mayor of Seongnam. Lee tried to link Yoon and his wife for their high dependence on shamanism, an old religious belief.