Minors hope to make a difference as they join the electorate

Voters flock to polling stations to choose lesser evil in election marked by disapproval

The coverage on this blog has ended. For more updates, results and news on South Korea’s presidential election, visit www.koreaherald.co.kr. -- Ed. Yoon Suk-yeol elected president of S. Korea Yoon Suk-yeol, a former chief prosecutor and political neophyte, was elected the next leader of South Korea on Thursday in one of the closest presidential elections in the country’s history. With all the votes counted, the conservative candidate garnered 48.6 percent, against 47.8 percent of

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Today’s election is a showdown between Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Suk-yeol, who each represent the country’s liberal and conservative political forces. Here’s what the two candidates said on Facebook early Wednesday, as polls opened nationwide to elect the next president of South Korea.  Lee Jae-myung of Democratic Party of Korea said: “There’s only one day left. The election result is going to be neck and neck. The outcome can be determined by only thousands

Voter turnout for South Korea's presidential election stood at 68.1 percent as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, as more than 30 million people participated in the polls, according to the country's election authorities. Out of the total 44.2 million eligible voters nationwide, 30.1 million, or 68.1 percent, have cast their ballots at 14,464 polling stations since the voting started at 6 a.m., the National Election Commission (NEC) said. The preliminary tally, which included the results of the two-day early

With South Korea’s presidential election underway, so has a parade of citizens posting photos of themselves voting. Posting what are commonly known as “proof shots” on social media is popular among Koreans, but doing it without discretion during an election can cause legal problems. K-pop star Kim Jae-joong on Saturday became the center of controversy after he posted a photo of his ballot in a voting booth, as did fellow singer K-will. Both deleted the posts hours later, an

　Political donations to lawmakers last year declined 24.3 percent from a year earlier, data from the state’s election watchdog showed.  　Financial contributions to lawmakers reached 40.7 billion won ($33.8 million) last year, down from 53.8 billion won in 2020, when the April 15 parliamentary elections were held, according to the National Election Commission. 　Lawmakers on average received 135.2 million won in donations last year, down from 179.4 million won in 2020.  　By par

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases soared to hit a fresh record high of more than 340,000 Wednesday while voters went to the polls to pick a new president amid the fast spread of the omicron variant. The country reported 342,446 new COVID-19 infections, including 342,388 local cases, raising the total caseload to 5,212,118, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally jumped from the 202,721 reported Tuesday. Daily infections exceeded the 300,000 mark for the

South Koreans voted Wednesday to pick a new president after a tightly contested race between ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung promising improved livelihoods and his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol championing a fairer society. Six hours after the polls opened at 6 a.m., election officials reported an average voter turnout of 20.3 percent nationwide, lower than the 24.5 percent reported at the same time in the previous presidential election in 2017. Voter interest is unprecedentedly kee

WASHINGTON -- North Korea may resume nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) testing before the year's end, a US government report said Tuesday. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) also said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un believes his nuclear weapons are the "ultimate guarantor" of his regime and that North Korea will eventually be accepted as a nuclear power over time. "In January, North Korea began laying the groundwork for an increase in

North Korea may resume nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) testing before the year’s end, a US government report said Tuesday. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) also said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un believes his nuclear weapons are the “ultimate guarantor” of his regime and that North Korea will eventually be accepted as a nuclear power over time. “In January, North Korea began laying the groundwork for an increase in tensi

As Koreans head to the polls to elect their next president, here’s a quick look at the vote by key numbers. 14: Number of names printed on the ballot paper Although the race has come down to dead heat between the two frontrunners, representing the main parties of the left and right wings, it started off with 14 candidates registered. Two dropped out, leaving 12 still running. 27: Length of the ballot paper in centimeters A single ballot is about 27 centimeters long, listing the 14 can