South Korea’s Legislative Election: What Went Wrong for the PPP?
The leadup to the election saw President Yoon Suk-yeol embroiled in a series of damaging incidents. His party paid the price.
South Korea politics
In South Korea, President Yoon’s Lame Duck Era Officially Begins
The Democratic Party (DP) won a landslide victory again on Wednesday, signaling South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s lame-duck status for his remaining three years in office. Out of 300 seats in the National Assembly, the DP won 175 seats, while the ruling People Power Party (PPP) won 108. Adding other seats won by opposition parties … Read more
Exit Polls Suggest a Big Win for South Korea’s Liberal Opposition Parties in Parliamentary Election
South Korea’s liberal opposition parties were expected to win a landslide victory in Wednesday’s parliamentary election, initial exit polls suggested, a result that if confirmed would make conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol a lame duck for his remaining three years in office. The joint exit polls by South Korea’s three major TV stations – KBS, MBC, … Read more
The Sewol Ferry Disaster, 10 Years Later
Magazine Despite two changes in the South Korean presidency, bereaved families say their questions remain unanswered. A protester prays standing by life vests symbolizing the 304 victims of the sunken ferry Sewol in 2014 during a candle light vigil calling for impeached President Park Geun-hye to step down in Seoul, South Korea, Jan. 7, 2017. … Read more
South Korea’s New Ambassador to Australia Is a Scourge for the Ruling Party
On March 10, South Korea’s new ambassador to Australia, Lee Jong-sup, hightailed it past airport security hours before journalists arrived. He was naturally all the more perplexed when accosted by a reporter right at the boarding gate. “Why do you have to do this?” Lee asked as the reporter trailed behind him on the walk … Read more
Understanding Satellite Parties in South Korea and Their Dangers to Democracy
On February 23, the People’s Power Party’s interim leader, former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, graced the inauguration of the People’s Future Party, a satellite entity of the PPP, geared toward the forthcoming National Assembly election in April 2024. Han vowed to be the foremost supporter of this newly minted party, pledging to combat what he … Read more
South Korea in Political Disarray Ahead of the April Parliamentary Elections
South Korea’s zero-sum game politics has turned into a political quagmire over the so-called “Kim Keon-hee risk,” involving the first lady’s receipt of a Christian Dior bag. Ironically, the scandal has become a leadership test not only for President Yoon Suk-yeol and the ruling People Power Party (PPP), but also for the main opposition Democratic … Read more
President Yoon Finally Addresses the First Lady’s Dior Pouch Controversy
A Lunar New Year special exclusive interview of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol aired on February 7. It was pre-recorded, leaving ample room for editing. The talk was more or less a rehashing of questions the public was already familiar with. Still, it offered a rare glimpse into not just the interior of the presidential … Read more
An ‘Orange Revolution’ in South Korean Politics?
On January 20, Lee Jun-Seok, a former head of South Korea’s ruling party, and his supporters launched a new political party named the New Reform Party. This new party has attracted strong public and media attention throughout the country, evidenced by hundreds of media reports and the presence of leading politicians, including South Korea’s former … Read more
Ahn Cheol-soo on the State of South Korean Politics
A seismic shift is underway in South Korean politics as April’s general election looms. In January, former leaders of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) separately broke off to form two new parties. Lee Jun-seok, the disgruntled ex-PPP chief, now heads the New Revolution Party with over 50,000 … Read more